For years, Alexander Zverev waited to win his first Grand Slam title, while at times he also received criticism that was not always fair.

Things became even more difficult with Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner leading men's tennis.

The German did not allow those comments to damage his confidence or motivation. He stayed patient, continued working hard in training and believed that his chance would eventually arrive.

His dream finally became reality this year, and Zverev did not stop after winning one Grand Slam title, as he managed to take two.

Those results brought a lot of reactions in the tennis world, with many believing that Zverev could challenge Alcaraz and Sinner even more next season.

Alexander Zverev is enjoying one of the best periods of his career, and Carlos Alcaraz believes the German deserves to be called the best player in the world right now.

Zverev arrived at the Laver Cup after winning the US Open, his second Grand Slam tournament title of the season. He also won Roland Garros earlier this year and reached the Wimbledon final.

The 29-year-old is currently ranked No. 2 in the world, behind Jannik Sinner, but his results over the last months have started a lot of talk about who is actually playing the best tennis at this moment.

Alcaraz gave his opinion before the Laver Cup started in London.

“He’s probably the best player in the world right now,” Alcaraz said.

“Having him by our side, having him on the team, it’s going to be a great weekend. I missed lifting the trophy last year, so I’m going to do whatever it takes to get it back this year. I can’t wait to play here.”

Zverev was later asked about hearing those words from the seven-time Grand Slam champion.

The German said he was honoured that Alcaraz had such an opinion about his current level.

It is not the first time the question has appeared in recent weeks.

After beating Ben Shelton 6-3, 7-6, 5-7, 6-2 in the US Open final, Zverev was directly asked whether he considered himself the best player in the world.

The experienced German did not give a simple yes or no answer.

“I don't know how to answer that,” Zverev said.

“You have to take everything into consideration. With Jannik Sinner being injured and Carlos Alcaraz coming back from injury after 4 months… right now, this moment, probably yes.

Both of them healthy and both at the top of their game, maybe not. But if we say right right now with Jannik being injured and Carlos coming back from injury, maybe.”

Zverev then mentioned his earlier matches against Sinner and admitted that the Italian had been ahead when both were healthy.

“Four or five months ago when both of them were healthy, I wasn't. I was losing to Jannik all the time. If everyone is healthy, I think Jannik is still ahead. It's as simple as that.”

The 29-year-old finished the US Open with his second Grand Slam trophy of 2026 and moved to No. 2 in the ATP rankings.

He also has a good chance to fight for the year-end No. 1 position during the remaining part of the season.

Sinner is still at the top of the rankings, while Alcaraz dropped to third after spending several months away because of his wrist injury.

Alcaraz and Zverev are usually opponents, but this week they are on the same side.

Both are part of Yannick Noah's Team Europe at the Laver Cup in London. Flavio Cobolli, Casper Ruud, Jakub Mensik and Rafael Jodar are also in the European team.

The Spanish star practiced with Zverev shortly after arriving at The O2.

Their practice also produced one funny conversation about the US Open final.

Alcaraz asked the German what was going through his mind on championship point against Shelton. Zverev admitted that he had lost track of the score.

“Completely nothing in my head. This is what helps. When you're stupid, it helps,” Zverev joked.

The German had already continued his good form after New York by helping Germany in the Davis Cup. He defeated Matej Dodig and Dino Prizmic without losing a set.

Alcaraz's situation has been quite different.

The 23-year-old returned at the US Open after around four months away because of a wrist problem. He reached the quarterfinal, where Shelton beat him after five sets in a match that finished at 3:33 in the morning.

The Spaniard said before the Laver Cup that he was happy with how his body responded in New York.

“I am feeling great and practising well,” Alcaraz said.

“The US Open was a great test for me, so I can’t wait to play here.”

Zverev has also received praise from Roger Federer during Laver Cup week. Federer mentioned Sinner, Alcaraz and Zverev when speaking about the current situation at the top of men's tennis.

The German has two Grand Slam tournament trophies this season and is still chasing the No. 1 ranking.

Alexander Zverev finally changed one of the biggest stories around his career this season by winning not one, but two Grand Slam tournaments.

The German spent years getting close to a Grand Slam title without being able to win one. That changed at Roland Garros, where Zverev defeated Flavio Cobolli in five sets and became a Grand Slam champion for the first time.

Only a few months later, the 29-year-old added another trophy at the US Open after beating Ben Shelton in four sets in the final.

However, there has also been one question around those results. Carlos Alcaraz missed Roland Garros because of injury, while Jannik Sinner did not play the US Open.

Former American tennis player John Isner was recently asked whether he believes Zverev can continue winning Grand Slam tournaments when Alcaraz and Sinner are both healthy.

Isner gave a direct answer.

"I don't think so. We saw [Carlos] Alcaraz's level after six months; we are going to get the [Jannik] Sinner vs Alcaraz rivalry. It took a year off, quite frankly," Isner said on the Nothing Major podcast.

Isner was not the only former player on the podcast who had doubts.

Sam Querrey claimed that the problem is not only Zverev. The former Wimbledon semifinalist believes every other player could have difficulties winning a Grand Slam tournament if the Spaniard and Italian are both playing their best tennis.

"No. I don't think anybody can. If Sinner and Alcaraz are both healthy, I don't think anybody in the world can win a Slam. I will stand by that," Querrey said.

Steve Johnson had a similar opinion, although he also pointed out one situation that could help Zverev.

"It has still not been done, so I am with Sam. I don't think it is possible for anyone with both these guys at 100%. You take nothing away from Sascha; he has just cemented himself into the Hall of Fame this year. First ballot, no doubt, but you beat who is in front of you. I just don't know if anybody is winning with both those guys healthy," Johnson said.

"Although it does change if Sascha is one, because he might only have to beat one of them. Sinner vs Alcaraz in the semi, to play him in the final. That does change things, but if you have to beat both, no."

Zverev is currently second in the ATP rankings behind Sinner, but his 2026 season has given him a chance to fight for the No. 1 position.

Finishing at the top could become important at Grand Slam tournaments because the top two seeds cannot meet before the final.

The German does not have a perfect record against the leading duo, but he has already shown that he can beat both players on the biggest stages.

Zverev defeated Alcaraz in the quarterfinals of the 2022 Roland Garros and again at the 2024 Australian Open.

He also has Grand Slam victories over Sinner. The experienced German beat the Italian at the 2021 US Open and again in a long five-set match in New York two years later.

Recent matches have been more difficult.

Alcaraz defeated Zverev in the 2024 Roland Garros final and again in the semifinals of this year's Australian Open. Their Melbourne match lasted five sets, with the Spaniard eventually winning 7-5 in the deciding set.

Sinner was another player who stopped Zverev at an important moment this year.

The Italian faced the German in the Wimbledon final and won 6-7, 7-6, 6-3, 6-4. It was Sinner's second Wimbledon trophy and his fifth Grand Slam title.

Zverev responded only a couple of months later in New York.

The 29-year-old defeated Shelton 6-3, 7-6, 5-7, 6-2 to win the US Open and take his second Grand Slam trophy of the season.

"I think I've said it a million times. But also, you realize one thing: Once you win one, you want to win more. You want to keep going and you want to play your best tennis every time you're on a tennis court," Zverev said during the US Open.

There will probably be many more chances to see how the German performs against Alcaraz and Sinner at prestigious tournaments.

While many believe the 29-year-old could lose some motivation after winning two Grand Slam titles, Alexander still seems to have the same hunger as before.

Winning two Grand Slams shows that you can really compete with anyone. Probably one of his biggest goals now would be to beat either Sinner or Alcaraz in a Grand Slam final, or earlier in the tournament, on the way to another title.

Carlos Alcaraz has already done many things before turning 24, and comparisons with Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal are becoming quite common.

The Spaniard has won seven Grand Slam tournaments and reached world No. 1 at a very young age. He also completed the career Grand Slam at this year's Australian Open, becoming the youngest man to do it.

John McEnroe has watched several generations of the best tennis players, and the American believes Alcaraz has something which separates him even from Federer and Nadal at the same stage of their careers.

Speaking during the Laver Cup week in London, the seven-time Grand Slam champion was asked about some of the greatest European players who could have played at the event.

Alcaraz was also mentioned in the conversation, and McEnroe quickly gave his opinion about the 23-year-old.

"The best I've ever seen at his age, the most complete player at that age who can do absolutely everything. He is right up there with Roger," McEnroe said.

The former world No. 1 did not stop there. He also pointed out how Alcaraz has brought some things back into modern tennis, including coming to the net and using the drop shot at important moments.

"He was willing to come in on big points, willing to use a drop shot at five-all in a tiebreaker, these things that were sort of unheard of," McEnroe said.

"It forces the other players to work on their net game, their drop shot. In the long run, it is really going to help the game, I am hoping. Who wouldn't want to copy this guy. This guy has the greatest smile, he's the greatest thing that's happened to tennis in 10 years, one of the greatest things that's ever happened to tennis."

This is not the first time McEnroe has praised Alcaraz like this.

During the 2025 season, he claimed that Alcaraz was the most talented young player he had ever watched on a tennis court.

"This guy Carlos Alcaraz at 21 or 22 is the most talented kid I have ever seen on the tennis court," McEnroe said at the time.

"That is more than Roger Federer, Nadal and Novak Djokovic, who I have great respect for. I idolised Rod Laver, I played Pete Sampras.

This guy is astoundingly good when he is on. One of the quickest guys who has ever been on the court, incredible personality, the attitude is amazing. He has got every shot in the book."

Comparisons with Federer and Nadal are not simple because their careers developed differently.

Federer had not yet become the dominant player tennis fans later knew when he was Alcaraz's age. His first Grand Slam title arrived at Wimbledon in 2003 when he was 21.

Nadal developed much earlier at the biggest tournaments. The Spaniard already had three Roland Garros titles shortly after turning 21 and was competing with Federer at the top of men's tennis.

Alcaraz has taken another path. His first Grand Slam tournament title came at the 2022 US Open when he was 19, while his early success has come on hard, clay and grass courts.

McEnroe's comments are mostly about the level of Alcaraz's game at his current age, rather than saying that his career is already better than the careers Federer and Nadal produced.

Federer finished his career with 20 Grand Slam singles titles, while Nadal retired with 22.

Alcaraz is still far from those numbers, although seven Grand Slam titles before turning 24 already puts him in a rare position.

The Spanish star has also had Jannik Sinner beside him during this part of his career. The Italian has become his biggest rival, and the two have played several important matches at Grand Slam tournaments over recent seasons.

McEnroe has often spoken about both players, but Carlos appears to have something the American particularly enjoys watching.

He previously described the Murcia native as one of the most complete players he had seen at such a young age, while also stressing his movement, speed and ability to use different shots.

Alcaraz himself has generally been careful when comparisons with Federer, Nadal and Novak Djokovic appear.

The 23-year-old has repeatedly said that he wants to build his own career instead of spending too much time thinking about records already set by the Big Three.

The Spaniard continues at the Laver Cup with Team Europe. The coming months could also be important after injuries forced him to spend some time away from competition this season.

Making any predictions about how many major trophies Carlos Alcaraz will win is very difficult. The Spaniard has already made his goals clear, so his focus remains on the tournaments ahead without thinking too much about the distant future or possible records.

Roger Federer's agent Tony Godsick has explained why the Laver Cup is yet to move outside North America when Team World are the hosts of the competition.

The Laver Cup was created by Federer and Godsick, with the first edition taking place in Prague in 2017. Since then, the tournament has changed cities almost every year and Team Europe and Team World alternate as hosts.

However, there is one thing that has remained the same so far. Every Team World home edition has taken place in North America.

Chicago hosted the competition in 2018, while Boston was selected for the 2021 edition. Vancouver followed in 2023 before the tournament moved to San Francisco in 2025.

The same will happen next year, as the 2027 Laver Cup will be played at the Intuit Dome in Los Angeles.

It means South America, Africa and Asia are still waiting to host the tournament.

Federer himself previously said that he would like to see the competition move to some of those places. The Swiss mentioned Asia and South America in the past, believing the event could bring prestigious tennis to cities that do not regularly see the biggest names live.

Godsick has now explained why doing that is more difficult than it may appear. The Laver Cup chairman stressed that finding the right indoor arena is one of the main problems.

"Sure, we'd love to bring this to Africa, would love to bring it to South America," Godsick said.

"We've got to find an indoor arena that can actually handle us for a period of time that has all the specifications."

The competition has grown a lot since Federer and his agent first created it. That growth also means the organizers now need much more from a potential host city and its arena.

Godsick admitted they did not completely understand those requirements when the competition first started.

"We didn't understand what we really needed inside of an arena. We weren't sports venue experts and we had to work with a group that helped us become that," he said.

The venue needs to have the right number of seats, enough space for the event and the necessary conditions for production and lighting.

There is also another important part of the decision. Laver Cup now works with many commercial partners.

"We have 25 sponsors now, so we have a lot of voices telling us where they would like us to go and when they would like us to go," Godsick said.

The 2026 edition is taking place at London's O2 Arena. It is the first city to host the competition for a second time after the British capital also welcomed the event in 2022, when Federer played the final match of his career.

Finding an arena is not simply about having enough seats.

Godsick explained that organizers have looked at potential places where one venue was too small while another was too big. Changing an arena to make it suitable for the event can also cost a lot of money.

"I don't mind investing in the event, I don't mind losing money," he said.

"But it becomes so cost-prohibitive that at some point you say to yourself, well, you know, it doesn't work at the moment."

Despite those problems, the 2027 decision again keeps Team World in North America.

Los Angeles will become the fourth American city to host after Chicago, Boston and San Francisco. Vancouver remains the only Team World host outside the United States, although the Canadian city is also in North America.

The organizers have not given up on taking the event much farther away.

"We hope to be able to go visit other markets at some point," Godsick said.

"But it's not as easy as we thought when we conceptualized it."

Federer has spoken several times about the same wish.

"I think we need to go to Asia, South America. Keep moving forward, not just stay in North America," the 20-time Grand Slam tournament champion said in 2024.

The former world No. 1 later again mentioned that the Laver Cup could eventually visit Asia or South America.

There has already been interest from different parts of the world. Godsick previously said organizers had been contacted by countries from the Middle East, Asia, South America and other regions.

However, the competition needs much more than simply an interested city.

The right arena, costs, timing and sponsors all have to work together before the organizers can make the move.

Los Angeles is already confirmed for September 2027, meaning Team World will remain in North America for at least one more home edition. Where the tournament goes after that remains unknown.

Many young players are mentioned as the future of tennis and as possible threats to the leading duo of Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz.

Rafael Jodar is among them, with the promising Spaniard seen by many as a player who could reach the very top of tennis in the coming years. However, whether that will really happen remains to be seen.

Rafael Jodar could hardly ask for a better start to his first Laver Cup, and Carlos Alcaraz had some simple advice for his countryman before he stepped on the court in London.

Jodar made his debut for Team Europe against Alexander Bublik on Friday and took a 6-2, 6-3 victory. The 20-year-old needed one hour and 24 minutes to beat the Kazakh and give his team an important point.

It was another great moment in what has been a very quick rise for the Spaniard. Jodar has moved from outside the top 300 to the top part of the ATP rankings during 2026, while he has also started getting chances at some of the biggest tournaments.

Before playing his first Laver Cup match, the Madrid native was asked about having Alcaraz beside him in Team Europe.

The seven-time Grand Slam champion already had experience of this competition and Jodar revealed that Carlos had been giving him advice during the week.

“He's given me good advice on how to play here, that I should enjoy it, that in the end it's an event where the best players are, and that I should take it one match at a time, that it's a very long tournament, that in the end everything is decided on the last day, and that above all I should enjoy the experience,” Jodar said.

There was a difficult opponent waiting for Jodar in his first match. Bublik has a game which can create problems for almost any player, but the young Spaniard looked comfortable from an early stage.

Jodar converted four of nine break-point opportunities and won 21 of his 26 first-serve points.

“I knew it was going to be a very tough match. Always playing your first matches at events is difficult, but I think I handled the important and difficult situations very well,” Jodar said.

“I played against a very tough opponent who played great tennis as well, but I think in the important points I played better today.”

The youngster also needed some time to understand the black court at The O2. Practice had given him an idea of the conditions, although he stressed that an official match felt quite different.

“I think the first four or five games really helped me to get used to the court. I had already practiced on this court for a few days, but playing practice sets and matches are totally different,” he said.

“I think these first games lasted 30 minutes. That really helped me to get used to the court and to get into more of a rhythm.”

Alcaraz was not the only Team Europe player telling Jodar to enjoy his first appearance. Jakub Mensik had offered similar advice before the tournament, while Casper Ruud also said the Spaniard should enjoy the moment and not put too much pressure on himself.

Jodar already knows team tennis quite well after spending time in college tennis in the United States. He also recently played Davis Cup for Spain, helping his country before arriving in London.

Alcaraz had already spoken positively about his younger countryman before they became teammates at the Laver Cup.

Earlier in Jodar's rise, Carlos claimed that one part of the youngster's mentality caught his attention.

“I like how he plays a lot,” Alcaraz said.

“He is fearless and has no respect for anyone when he steps onto the court. Off the court, he is a really nice guy. He has immense respect for everyone involved. However, once he steps onto the court, he believes he can beat anyone.

That's what I like most about him, and I'm not surprised by his good results and progress. He is on the verge of the top 100, and we will see more from him in the future.”

Jodar has made more progress since Alcaraz said that. Jodar won his first ATP title in Marrakech this season and continued getting results at bigger tournaments, which helped him earn a place in Yannick Noah's Team Europe.

The two Spaniards have also spent more time together during the Laver Cup week.

After beating Bublik, Jodar pointed out that having Alcaraz around made his first experience at the event easier.

“Carlos is a great person, a great player. He has helped me a lot since I arrived here in London. He has already been here twice, if I'm not mistaken, for this competition. So he knows more than I do how it works,” Jodar said.

“And that we are Spaniards, I believe helps. The language always helps. I am very grateful to be sharing this week with him.”

Jodar does not want his quick progress to change his plans for the future. The 20-year-old said after his victory that his main target remains improving his game and competing against the best players more regularly.

Team Europe finished the opening day with a 3-1 advantage after Alcaraz and Mensik later defeated Bublik and Taylor Fritz 6-4, 6-4 in doubles.

Leylah Fernandez is into her first WTA final of the year in Singapore after pulling off an impressive 1-6 6-4 6-2 comeback over French Open runner-up Maja Chwalinska.

Early on in the match, Fernandez - who is the No. 6 seed in her Singapore debut - struggled to adapt to Chwalinska's game and the slices and topspin that were coming from the Pole's side. As a result, the opener was completely dominated by the fifth-seeded Pole, who had four breaks after just one set.

After not standing a chance in the first set, Fernandez claimed an early second-set break and also stabilized on her serve to open a 3-1 lead. And while the Canadian played a loose sixth game and was broken back, she raised her aggressiveness in the ninth game and hit back-to-back winners to claim the key break and go 5-4 up before delivering a couple more winners in the next game to force a decider.

Chwalinska routinely served out the opening game of the decider and even had a break point in the second game, but failed to convert.

The Pole not converting her early break chance was the turning point as the French Open runner-up started to spray errors - and even looked tired - as Fernandez went on a major five-game winning run to open a 5-1 lead before wrapping things up on her serve in the seventh game.

FINAL CONFIRMED 😤@leylahfernandez is marches through to the last two in Singapore! She defeats Chwalinska 1-6, 6-4, 6-2.#SgTennisOpen pic.twitter.com/CfbQgPj1Jh

— wta (@WTA) September 26, 2026

Before Singapore, the 2021 US Open runner-up had yet to reach a semifinal in 2026.

But now, the Canadian is through to her first final of the year, where she will face Talia Gibson.

If Fernandez beats Gibson in Singapore, she will collect her sixth WTA title and the first since beating Tereza Valentova in the Osaka final last October.

It is almost unnecessary to say how important Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner are for tennis fans.

Although there are many people who are a little tired of the dominance of this duo, there is no doubt that they are the players who make tennis more attractive and easier to watch. Every time one of them is missing from a major tournament, it is a big blow not only for the tournament organizers, but also for tennis fans in general.

Most people hope that their future will include as few injuries as possible. Because of that, some important figures in the sport have also spoken about their injuries, the ways they can reduce them, but also the reasons why those injuries happened.

Roger Federer believes injuries are simply part of tennis and feels Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner may have been a little unlucky this year after both spending time away from the court.

Alcaraz and Sinner have been the two main names in men's tennis over the last few seasons, but 2026 has been different for both. The Spaniard missed Roland Garros and Wimbledon because of his wrist problem, while Sinner later had knee issues and was unable to play at the US Open.

Their problems have again opened questions about the tennis calendar and whether players are playing too much during the year.

Federer, who spent more than two decades on the ATP Tour, believes there is no simple answer.

"I mean I feel like it's a bit part of the game," Federer said.

The Swiss also remembered his own difficult periods. His 2013 season included problems with his back, while injuries again caused trouble in 2016 and eventually forced him to take a long break.

Federer later returned in 2017 and won the Australian Open after being away from competition for around six months.

"I was also fighting with some sort of an issue. They had it maybe a little bit this year, but still they won both a Slam, both had a tremendous year regardless," Federer said.

The 20-time Grand Slam tournament champion was known for avoiding many long injury breaks during the first part of his career.

Federer believed it was important to look many years ahead, not only think about the next few tournaments.

"For me it was: when I look at the long runway, how do I keep longevity going and what are my goals, and then you work back from that," the former world No. 1 said.

The Swiss pointed out that many smaller things can decide how well a player recovers during a long season.

"As a team it's like understanding how much you're playing, when to play, with whom to train, where to train. There's so many little details," he said.

Federer often changed his own schedule during the later part of his career. One clear example came in 2017 when he decided not to play the clay season after winning the Australian Open, Indian Wells and Miami.

He returned for the grass season and later won Wimbledon without losing a set.

The veteran also had a long period before that season when he was able to train without constantly preparing for the next tournament. Federer previously said that the time away allowed him to work more on his backhand and return.

"When you have injuries, you can't train as much as you would like. At the same time, we're always chasing tournaments and playing points," Federer previously explained.

He added that practice was important because simply playing matches did not always give a player enough time to improve certain parts of his game.

Alcaraz and Sinner have both played a lot of tennis in recent seasons while regularly reaching the later stages of big tournaments.

Their rivalry has also produced several long matches. Federer already praised the pair earlier this year and described their 2025 Roland Garros final as an important moment for tennis.

However, the 44-year-old does not believe every injury can automatically be connected to playing too many tournaments.

"Let's be honest, sometimes you're just also unlucky," Federer said.

"All of a sudden something hurts, you didn't realise it was that serious, and then you've got to just sit it out."

Sinner was having another good season before his knee injury. The Italian had also built a big advantage in the ATP rankings and won six Masters 1000 tournaments during the year.

Roger recently said that when Sinner is available and healthy, he still sees the Italian as possibly the best player in the world.

"I think when he does show up, he's been the best. That's why also his ranking is right there," the Swiss said.

Alcaraz, meanwhile, returned to competition at the US Open after spending around four months away from the tour.

Federer was delighted to see the Spaniard back and has previously said he would have liked to face both Alcaraz and Sinner during his own career.

The former world No. 1 never played an official match against either player because their rise happened during the final years of his career.

Suffering an injury is a big blow for every player, and that is also the case with the leading duo, especially when you have a perfect chance to do well at prestigious tournaments.

Alcaraz and Sinner know that injuries are part of a tennis career, but they certainly hope to have as few of them as possible in the future. It seems that the battle between the Spaniard and the Italian will continue in the coming years, of course if both stay healthy.

Elina Svitolina delivered a clinical display to beat Jasmine Paolini 6-2 6-2 and blast Ukraine into its maiden Billie Jean King Cup final.

In the opening match of the semifinal tie between Ukraine and defending champions Italy, world No. 48 Anhelina Kalinina gave the Ukrainian side an early lead after dismissing 150th-ranked Tyra Grant 6-3 6-4.

After Kalinina handled the job against Grant, Svitolina was put in position to secure her nation its first Billie Jean King Cup final.

And Svitolina got straight to business right out of the gate, claiming back-to-back breaks and opening a 3-0 lead. While Paolini managed to get one break back, the reigning Rome champion remained unfazed and kept applying pressure before earning another break in the seventh game and serving out the opener in the following game.

The second set was more or less the same story as Svitolina constantly kept Paolini on her back foot and registered two more breaks to complete a two-set win.

12 months earlier, Ukraine reached its maiden Billie Jean King Cup semifinal and also faced Italy. And after Marta Kostyuk won the opening rubber, Svitolina failed to seal the deal for her nation after Paolini won the second rubber to level the tie at 1-1. Italy then won the deciding doubles rubber and reached the final before beating the United States to win the title.

This time, Ukraine once again went 1-0 up - but unlike last year - the 32-year-old Ukrainian didn't allow Paolini to beat her and extend the tie.

Svitolina's revenge 😤 She takes Ukraine to their first ever BJK Cup Final with a straight sets win over Jasmine Paolini 🇺🇦#BJKCup pic.twitter.com/q7Va7OTsFc

— Billie Jean King Cup (@BJKCup) September 26, 2026

On Sunday, Svitolina and Kalinina will face the Czech team that is led by Wimbledon finalists Linda Noskova and Karolina Muchova.

As mentioned above, Ukraine is set for its first Billie Jean King Cup final, while the Czech Republic has reached 12 finals and won 11 titles.

Paul McGinley has questioned whether the United States did enough preparation before the Presidents Cup after a very difficult Friday at Medinah.

Brandt Snedeker's team started the competition well and led 3-2 after Thursday's fourballs, but everything changed one day later. The International Team won all five foursomes matches and moved into a 7-3 lead before Saturday.

McGinley, who captained Europe at the 2014 Ryder Cup, believes preparation for team golf has to be different from preparation for a normal PGA Tour event.

Speaking on Golf Channel, the Irishman explained that the course should be studied first before deciding which skills are most important for the week.

"The golf course that you play asks a different exam," McGinley said.

He then pointed out that teams should look carefully at things such as par fives, par threes and how often players may need to hit driver.

For McGinley, a course like Medinah creates questions which players may not face during the FedEx Cup playoffs or at a Grand Slam tournament.

"So I think that is the backbone of it," he added.

The former Ryder Cup captain also stressed that foursomes is a difficult format and needs a lot of work before the competition starts.

"Have they put enough prep into this? Not just in terms of statistics but have they played enough?" McGinley asked.

The United States has dominated the Presidents Cup for many years, but Friday was one of its most difficult sessions in the event.

Sungjae Im and Hideki Matsuyama opened the day by beating Russell Henley and Jacob Bridgeman 3&2.

Corey Conners and Nick Taylor then defeated Scottie Scheffler and Sam Burns by one hole, before Adam Scott and Christiaan Bezuidenhout beat Justin Thomas and Cameron Young 3&2.

Ryan Fox and Min Woo Lee also won a close match against Collin Morikawa and Wyndham Clark.

Tom Kim and Si Woo Kim finished the sweep by beating Patrick Cantlay and Xander Schauffele 4&3.

It was only the third time in Presidents Cup history that the International Team swept an entire session. The same team also swept Friday foursomes at Royal Montreal in 2024, although the Americans later recovered and won the competition.

International captain Geoff Ogilvy was delighted with what he saw but did not want his players to start thinking that the job was already finished.

"It's hard to imagine," Ogilvy said after the session.

Adam Scott also pointed out that a lot of golf was still left to play.

The Australian knows that better than most after being part of many Presidents Cup teams and seeing several different situations over the years.

The International Team has only won this event once, in 1998, while there was also a tie in 2003. The Americans have won every edition since then.

That history means Snedeker's players still have a chance, but the four-point gap has made Saturday important.

Medinah is not a new place for big team golf.

The Chicago course hosted the 2012 Ryder Cup, where Europe produced one of the most famous comebacks in the event's history.

The Americans led 10-6 before the Sunday singles, but Jose Maria Olazabal's team recovered to win 14.5-13.5.

Course No. 3 has since been changed, and McGinley believes understanding those demands is one of the important parts of preparing a team.

The Presidents Cup format also gives captains many decisions to make. Thursday had five fourball matches, Friday had five foursomes, while Saturday includes four matches in each format.

Twelve singles matches will then decide the competition on Sunday.

Snedeker had already faced questions about his team before arriving at Medinah. One of the biggest talking points was his decision not to select J.J. Spaun as a captain's pick.

Spaun responded by winning the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth one week before the Presidents Cup. He said the omission had given him extra motivation.

The U.S. captain instead selected players including Thomas, Schauffele, Cantlay, Gotterup, Bridgeman and Jackson Koivun.

Friday's result has now brought another question around the American team, this time about how much work was done before the first shot was played.

McGinley stopped short of directly blaming Snedeker and admitted that he did not know exactly how much preparation the Americans had done.

Still, after a 5-0 foursomes defeat, he believes it is fair to ask whether the team had played enough before facing a format where small mistakes can quickly decide a match.

The Americans have plenty of Presidents Cup experience in their group, but they now need a response at Medinah. Saturday offers eight points before Sunday's singles, giving Snedeker's team a chance to reduce the 7-3 deficit.

Carlos Alcaraz could add more doubles matches to his schedule in 2027 after admitting that he enjoys this part of tennis a lot.

The Spaniard does not play doubles often during a normal ATP season, mostly because singles already takes a lot from him physically. However, his latest appearance at the Laver Cup in London once again reminded him how much he likes having a partner on the court.

Alcaraz joined Jakub Mensik on Friday night and the Team Europe pair defeated Alexander Bublik and Taylor Fritz 6-4, 6-4. Their victory gave Europe a 3-1 lead after the opening day at the O2 Arena.

The 23-year-old looked very comfortable at the net and also had a lot of fun during the match. After the win, he admitted that he would like to play this format more often.

“100%. I wish I could play more doubles during the whole year,” Alcaraz said when asked if he wanted more doubles in his schedule.

“It’s tricky. Because of the scale of the singles, how demanding physically and mentally it can be, a single match, I try to make the most of the day I have between matches to rest up and feel better. If I’m playing doubles, I cannot use that day to rest up, and probably I’m going to put my body into a stressed situation.

“But I will consider in some tournaments to play doubles, because I just have a lot of fun. I enjoy it so much out there.”

Carlos also claimed that doubles can help him in some parts of his singles tennis. The former world No. 1 often looks to attack the net, and a doubles match naturally gives him many more situations close to the net.

“I use it to be better, in some specific moments when I play in the singles, so hopefully I’m healthy enough physically to play more doubles on the tour,” he said.

The seven-time Grand Slam champion made similar comments after the Laver Cup match. He pointed out that having Mensik beside him made the night easier and more enjoyable.

“I’m just trying to have fun in every place that I go and on every court that I play on. I don’t usually play doubles. I just try to enjoy and be better at things. I use doubles to try and improve my tennis, a couple of adjustments. Having a partner like Jakub, it’s really easy to have fun on the court,” Alcaraz said.

This was not something completely new for the Spaniard. One year earlier in San Francisco, he played two doubles matches for Team Europe and won both of them.

First, Alcaraz and Mensik beat Alex Michelsen and Fritz 7-6(7), 6-4. Two days later, the Murcia native joined Casper Ruud and they defeated Michelsen and Reilly Opelka 7-6(4), 6-1.

Before that tournament, Carlos had already spoken about how much he liked playing doubles with Ruud. He said the energy between them was very good and he also mentioned that he wanted another chance to play alongside Alexander Zverev.

Perhaps the most famous doubles partnership of Alcaraz’s career happened at the Paris Olympics in 2024. He played with Rafael Nadal, which immediately brought a lot of attention in Spain and outside the country.

The two Spaniards reached the quarterfinals at Roland Garros. They beat Maximo Gonzalez and Andres Molteni in their first match and then Tallon Griekspoor and Wesley Koolhof before losing to Austin Krajicek and Rajeev Ram.

For the young Spaniard, that week was also a rare chance to share the same side of the court with Nadal, the player he watched for many years before becoming one of the best players himself.

Alcaraz also returned to doubles at this year’s US Open, where he partnered Serena Williams in the mixed doubles event. They defeated Emma Raducanu and Jack Draper before Belinda Bencic and Flavio Cobolli stopped them 5-4(4), 4-1 in the quarterfinals.

His situation for 2027 is still complicated. Carlos has already spoken about taking more breaks during a long season after missing several months this year because of a wrist injury. He also said recently that playing every tournament is not possible.

Rotterdam is already expected to be part of his 2027 schedule, while the rest of the first part of the year is not fully clear yet.

That is why doubles will probably remain something he chooses only at certain tournaments. However, after another good night at the Laver Cup, the current world No. 1 made it clear that he wants to consider it when his body and singles schedule allow him to do so.

Wyndham Clark was happy with his opening result at the Presidents Cup, but there was one thing that disappointed him during the first day at Medinah.

The American partnered Collin Morikawa against Adam Scott and Ryan Fox on Thursday. Clark and Morikawa won their match 3&2 and helped the United States finish the opening session with a 3-2 advantage over the International Team.

Clark has already experienced a lot during the 2026 season. The 32-year-old won the U.S. Open earlier this year and became a two-time Grand Slam champion in golf, while he has also had some difficult moments involving fans.

This week gives him another opportunity to play in front of the American crowd and represent his country.

However, Clark expected a little more noise from the supporters at Medinah.

The American spoke about the atmosphere after his opening match and admitted that things felt quite quiet at times.

"I do want to say; and these guys are going to laugh, but it was kind of dead out there," Clark said.

"I felt like the momentum could have been better, to be honest, because we weren't really feeling the fans, I think, as much as normal."

Clark even remembered one Morikawa shot that made him realize how quiet the supporters were.

Morikawa hit a 5-wood from around 229 yards on the 11th hole and put the ball about 12 feet from the hole.

Clark and his partner were not immediately sure where the ball had finished because there was almost no reaction. Such a moment was quite confusing for the experienced golfer, but also for his teammates.

"There were a few shots; I mean, Collin hit a 5-wood on, what was it, 11 to like 10 feet, and we didn't even know if it was on the green because no one clapped. It was a little surprising," Clark said.

The former U.S. Open champion also remembered some important putts where he expected a much louder response.

"We'd make some big putts; I'm saying this more as a challenge that hopefully tomorrow and the weekend the fans are out there really rooting us on, and regardless of what happens, we have the momentum," he said.

American captain Brandt Snedeker also noticed something similar.

"It was a weird day. I really felt like the fans were out there and they were there, but the first tee was loud, and then it just kind of dissipated as the day went on," Snedeker said.

The captain also believed the difficult course setup had something to do with it.

With fewer birdies and fewer big moments during some matches, supporters had fewer chances to make noise.

The Presidents Cup is a lot different from a normal PGA Tour tournament.

Players are not competing only for themselves, and crowd support can become important when a match becomes close during the final holes.

American fans have created memorable atmospheres at previous team competitions, although there have also been moments when players from the opposition felt the support went too far.

Clark knows both sides of that situation.

He has dealt with some difficult treatment from spectators himself this season, including negative comments and jeers during tournaments.

Still, he clearly wants Medinah supporters to be louder when Team USA are playing this week.

The Americans had several good moments on Thursday.

Scottie Scheffler and Sam Burns defeated Min Woo Lee and Sungjae Im 1 up, while Clark and Morikawa also delivered a full point.

Those results helped the home team finish the opening session ahead, although the International Team remained very close.

Medinah also has a long history with team golf.

The Chicago venue hosted the 2012 Ryder Cup, when Europe produced its famous Sunday comeback after trailing the United States 10-6.

The atmosphere during that week was very different, and Medinah produced many loud moments throughout the competition.

Clark would clearly like something closer to that over the remaining Presidents Cup sessions.

His first job was completed with a victory alongside Morikawa.

Now the 32-year-old hopes the American fans can play their part as well and give Team USA a louder atmosphere while they try to continue their long winning run in the Presidents Cup.

Reactions on social media have been mixed. While some believe the well-known golfer has a point and that the atmosphere needs to change, others simply expect the American players to perform better in the next sessions and try to secure a big victory in the end.

Roger Federer is expected to have another important role at the Laver Cup in the future, with tournament chairman Tony Godsick saying that the Swiss will one day become a captain.

Federer has been closely connected with the competition since its start in 2017. The former world No. 1 helped create the event alongside Godsick and has remained involved after ending his professional career.

The 44-year-old is again in London this week, where the 2026 edition is taking place at the O2 Arena. It is also the venue where the Swiss played the last match of his career four years ago.

Federer is not sitting on the Team Europe bench this time. Yannick Noah is the captain, while Tim Henman works as vice-captain. Andre Agassi leads Team World alongside Patrick Rafter.

However, Godsick believes Federer will take the captain's position at some point.

"So Roger one day is ready to be captain. The next day he says, I can't be a captain for 10 years. He's got four kids, he's got a lot going on," Godsick said.

"What I can tell you is one day he'll be captain for sure. I hope. I mean, nothing's for sure. I know behind the scenes he behaves and acts like one with Steve and I.

He doesn't get involved in anything that the captains are doing from that standpoint, but he loves this event."

Federer has four children and has repeatedly said that family is one of the reasons why he does not want to take a full-time coaching job.

Godsick also revealed that the 20-time Grand Slam tournament champion is already quite interested in many smaller details around the Laver Cup.

"I remember when we got the confidential schedule for today, I sent it to him immediately and he started analyzing it in detail. So he could be ready to be captain tomorrow, without a doubt," Godsick said.

"I would love to see him as captain at some point. Andre is doing a great job. He takes this so seriously, and so does Pat Rafter. And Yannick Noah has been just absolutely amazing, and Tim Henman has been fantastic and great."

Federer himself spoke about the same possibility last month. The Swiss stressed that becoming a Laver Cup captain is much easier to imagine at this stage than spending most of the season coaching one player.

"With the Laver Cup down the road, the captain role is definitely something I could consider. Coaching, at the minute, no — I'm too busy, the kids need my undivided attention, I have too many projects, and I love my time and my life with my wife," Federer said.

"I don't want to change that right now. But never say never."

The former No. 1 also pointed out that a normal coaching job would require much more time. Federer claimed that someone who really wants to help a player would probably have to spend around 20 to 25 weeks per year with that person.

People have talked about Federer becoming Team Europe captain before.

After the Swiss retired at the 2022 Laver Cup, Andy Murray was already speaking about Federer getting that job one day.

"I'm sure Roger is going to stay involved in the event in some capacity and maybe one day captain the team," Murray said at the time.

"Look, he's great on the side. He watches a lot of tennis, he loves the game. I think for ex-players that go into coaching, I think that's important to sort of stay current and know a lot of the players."

The first seven editions had Bjorn Borg as Team Europe captain and John McEnroe leading Team World. Both left their positions after the 2024 event in Berlin.

Noah and Agassi then took over, while Federer stayed involved behind the scenes. Godsick also said there is no rule stopping Borg or McEnroe from returning in some role later.

Federer has a very personal history with the event. He played at the first edition in Prague in 2017 and later shared the court with Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Murray as Team Europe players.

His final professional appearance also happened at the Laver Cup. Federer partnered Nadal in doubles against Jack Sock and Frances Tiafoe in London in September 2022.

Exactly when Federer will sit in the captain's chair remains unknown. Godsick did not give a year, while Federer has also said that his family and other projects remain his priority for now.

A tennis figure like Federer is always welcome in any role. The Swiss may have retired from professional tennis, but the skills and personality he showed for so many years are some of the reasons why he remains so popular among players and tennis fans.

The WTA has suggested that Tatiana Prozorova was diagnosed with a concussion following her Singapore doubles incident, which under the rules automatically meant that she was not allowed to compete.

On Friday, the 180th-ranked Russian upset world No. 40 Wang Xinyu 3-6 7-5 6-4 to reach her maiden WTA semifinal in Singapore.

After sealing her first WTA semifinal ticket, Prozorova returned to the court for her doubles quarterfinal alongside Sofya Lansere. With Miyu Kato and Ellen Perez leading 7-5 6-2, Kato accidentally sent a smash directly into the Russian's head, leaving the 22-year-old on the ground and requiring immediate medical attention.

🚨 SCÉNARIO INVRAISEMBLABLE À SINGAPOUR ! 😳 Tatiana Prozorova, 180e mondiale, ne disputera pas sa demi-finale EN SIMPLE au WTA 500 de Singapour après avoir été RETIRÉE du tournoi pour raisons médicales. Touchée à la tête lors d’un match de double, elle affirme pourtant se…

— Univers Tennis 🎾 (@UniversTennis) September 25, 2026

The match ended in retirement.

After her doubles run ended in retirement, it was announced that Prozorova wouldn't play against Talia Gibson in Saturday's singles semifinal. But then, the Russian took to Instagram to reveal that withdrawing from the Singapore semifinal wasn't her decision, but one made by the physio and the WTA.

In her message, Prozorova said that she struggled with one of the tests given to her, but insisted that she passed the others and felt that she was capable of competing in her singles semifinal.

“My team and I had a long discussion with the organizers; throughout the process, the physio pressured everyone present and even claimed I wasn’t capable of taking responsibility for my own life. The organizers’ decision really upset me," the 22-year-old claimed.

In a written statement provided to The Straits Times, the WTA fully stood by its decision not to allow Prozorova to continue with her Singapore singles campaign.

“Under the WTA Physical Incapacity Rule and Concussion Protocol, a player who is diagnosed with a concussion is not permitted to compete and will be ruled physically unable to do so,” the WTA explained. 

“The player may only return to competition once they have successfully completed the required graduated return-to-play protocol and have received appropriate medical clearance.

“This process is designed to protect the player’s health and safety and to reduce the risk associated with returning to competition before adequate recovery.”

When making the claims about how she was forced to withdraw from Singapore, Prozorova also wrote: "My dream week came to an end."

Tatiana Prozorova claims she was basically forced to withdraw from her Singapore semifinal clash after the tournament physio "pressured everyone" and claimed that "I wasn't capable of taking responsibility for my own life."

The 22-year-old Russian, who is ranked No. 180 in the world, had a busy Friday in Singapore.

First, Prozorova upset world No. 40 Wang Xinyu 3-6 7-5 6-4 to reach her maiden WTA semifinal in Singapore.

Then, the Russian returned to the court for her doubles quarterfinal match with fellow compatriot Sofya Lansere.

With Miyu Kato and Ellen Perez leading 7-5 6-2, the Japanese player accidentally sent a smash directly into Prozorova's head. The 22-year-old immediately fell to the ground as the other three players rushed to check on her. She immediately received medical attention, but the match wasn't continued.

🚨 SCÉNARIO INVRAISEMBLABLE À SINGAPOUR ! 😳 Tatiana Prozorova, 180e mondiale, ne disputera pas sa demi-finale EN SIMPLE au WTA 500 de Singapour après avoir été RETIRÉE du tournoi pour raisons médicales. Touchée à la tête lors d’un match de double, elle affirme pourtant se…

— Univers Tennis 🎾 (@UniversTennis) September 25, 2026

Shortly after retiring from her doubles match, it was also revealed that Prozorova had withdrawn from her Singapore semifinal against Talia Gibson.

Then came a stunning development - the Russian took to Instagram to share that she actually didn't want to withdraw from her singles semifinal but was forced into it. However, she did admit that she struggled to pass one exercise.

“The physio called to the court insisted on taking me off-court to run a specific test. Unfortunately I didn’t know I could refuse," Prozorova said in a message posted on her Instagram Story.

“The test wasn’t easy. Given that I’d spent over three hours on court each of the last three days, I was fatigued, and I struggled with some of the exercises - like standing on one leg with my eyes closed. To be honest, even when I’m fresh and well-rested, I find that difficult anyway. I explained this to the physio, too."

Prozorova: The physio claimed I wasn't capable of taking responsibility for my own life... It upset me

In the same message, Prozorova said that "my dream came to an end," while also claiming that she passed all but one of the exercises given by the physio.

“Of all the exercises, that was the one they weren’t happy with, even though I passed all the others," the Russian added.

“My team and I had a long discussion with the organizers; throughout the process, the physio pressured everyone present and even claimed I wasn’t capable of taking responsibility for my own life. The organizers’ decision really upset me," the 22-year-old said.

Before her Singapore semifinal run, Prozorova mostly competed in ITF and WTA 125 tournaments earlier this year.

Leylah Fernandez acknowledged that she posted "a great win" over Mirra Andreeva, but also admitted that the match wasn't easy either physically or mentally.

The Canadian, who is the No. 6 seed at the WTA 500 tournament in Singapore, upset the top-seeded Russian 6-2 7-5 in the Singapore quarterfinal. 

Fernandez dominated the opening set after breaking Andreeva three times. In the second set, the No. 6 seed saw a 5-2 lead slip away, but kept her focus to serve out the 11th game for a 6-5 lead before breaking the top seed once again in the 12th game to seal the deal. 

Fernandez on fire 🔥@leylahfernandez defeats No.1 seed Andreeva in straight sets! #SgTennisOpen pic.twitter.com/wnJNEqbHmQ

— wta (@WTA) September 25, 2026

For Fernandez, it was her biggest win of the season and one that helped her reach her first semifinal of the year in Singapore. It was also the 24-year-old's ninth career top-10 win.

After the match, the 2021 US Open runner-up was pleased with the way she competed and especially with how she managed the more difficult second set.

"It's such a great win. The way that I played, the way that I fought in the second set. It wasn't an easy match to begin with, physically and then of course mentally. I'm just happy that I was able to get through the finish line today," Fernandez admitted after beating Andreeva.

Going into their Singapore meeting, Fernandez and Andreeva were tied at 2-2 in their head-to-head. The Canadian had won their previous hard-court meetings in Hong Kong in 2023 and Toronto in 2026, while the Russian triumphed in their two Madrid clay clashes in 2023 and 2026.

"It just feels like I've played her so many times over the years," the 2021 US Open finalist said about her record against the Russian.

"We've practiced together a few times, so it's always a competitive battle. It just feels like I'm figuring her out and same as her, she's figuring me out. So it's kind of that push and pull. I'm not going to say that from then on I'm going to win against her all the time because that's not the case. We never know the result. We just know that it's going to be a battle."

Meanwhile, Fernandez is now set to battle Maja Chwalinska in the Singapore semifinal for the first time in her career.

Mischa Zverev has hit back at those trying to downplay Alexander Zverev's Grand Slam success this year, suggesting that the players who missed certain Majors were absent for a reason.

After losing his first three Grand Slam finals, Alexander finally made his long-desired breakthrough at this year's French Open by beating Flavio Cobolli in a five-set final.

However, since Carlos Alcaraz didn't play at Roland Garros, while Jannik Sinner exited in the second round after struggling with cramps, some downplayed Alexander's win by claiming that he got lucky with the way the draw opened up.

The German then backed that run up with another deep showing at Wimbledon, where he reached his first final at The Championships before losing to Sinner. And at the US Open, the 29-year-old made his third consecutive Grand Slam final and won his second Major after overcoming Ben Shelton.

Since Sinner didn't play at Flushing Meadows and the world No. 2 also avoided facing Alcaraz after the Spaniard was upset by Shelton in the quarterfinal, some again tried to downplay the German's win.

Zverev with the new hardware 🏆 pic.twitter.com/5VnkcybMdh

— US Open Tennis (@usopen) September 13, 2026

Mischa, who serves as his brother's coach, manager and hitting partner, had a blunt take when asked about the narratives surrounding his younger brother's two Grand Slam wins in 2026.

"No, I mean, what does 'lack of recognition' even mean? Why weren’t they there? Because they were injured. Why do you get injured? Because somewhere along the way you simply weren’t strong enough, or because you overdid it. Because you didn’t fully recover when you needed to. There is always a reason. It wasn’t simply that they didn’t feel like playing," Mischa told SPORT1.

Mischa also mentioned Alexander's horror 2022 leg injury and suggested that his brother deserves respect for the way he managed to come back from it and eventually become a Grand Slam champion.

"So I don’t see it at all as something that can be downplayed. He has been around for so many years. He had an unbelievable injury in 2022, when some people were saying that he would never come back the way he was before - and then he comes back and plays like this. So, like I said, there will always be someone who has something to say," Mischa added.

Meanwhile, by becoming a Grand Slam champion this year, the 29-year-old has now won titles at every major level, having also previously won titles in every ATP category, the ATP Finals and an Olympic gold medal.

The only major accomplishment still missing from Alexander's career is reaching the world No. 1 ranking.

Sara Sorribes Tormo says she would be "delighted" to play a five-set format in Grand Slams as she suggests that would actually favor her.

Over the past few years, the idea of women playing best-of-five in Grand Slams has been brought up several times and top WTA players have been asked about it.

And earlier this year, the topic surrounding women potentially playing five-set matches gained traction after Craig Tiley - who still served as the Australian Open tournament director at the time - suggested that the Happy Slam could possibly have women play best-of-five as early as 2027. Under his proposal, Tiley said that the best-of-five format for the women's event would be used from the quarterfinals onward.

To no one's surprise, the majority of the top WTA players were immediately asked how they felt about that. And the majority were against it, including Elena Rybakina, Iga Swiatek and Jessica Pegula. Aryna Sabalenka was in favor of it, while Coco Gauff said that she was against it, but that she could handle playing a five-set match.

Sorribes Tormo, who will celebrate her 30th birthday in October, is known as a player who relies on strong baseline play and defense. Therefore, she is no stranger to playing long and demanding matches.

And when asked about the prospect of playing a five-set match, the two-time WTA champion suggested that she was fully in favor of it.

“I, yes, but of course, I don't talk much because my matches are usually very long and I usually feel very good physically, but if I could play five sets, I would be delighted to play them. Therefore, I am totally in favor because I think they are very, very different games,” Sorribes Tormo said on RNE Deportes.

🥎"Estaría encantadísima de jugar partidos a 5 sets" 🗣@sara_sorribes se moja en el debate del formato unificado en el tenis, con las mujeres jugando también a 5 sets 🎙Una entrevista de @dediegoYpunto pic.twitter.com/odg8nNJo0M

— RNE Deportes (@RNEdeportes) September 24, 2026

Sorribes Tormo, who made her Grand Slam main-draw debut at the 2016 French Open, has been competing in Majors for exactly a decade. However, the former world No. 32 has never enjoyed much success on the biggest stage as she has only once reached the round-of-16 of a Major - she reached the French Open last-16 in 2023 before losing to Beatriz Haddad Maia.

At the other Grand Slams, Sorribes Tormo once reached the US Open third round and multiple times had second-round outings at the Australian Open and Wimbledon.

The conflicts devastating the Middle East have been affecting all our lives for months.

Inevitably, this impact is felt most acutely—and to an exponentially greater degree—by the nations located in the region where these conflicts are unfolding.

As we know, the DP World Tour season concludes in the first two weeks of November, with a schedule featuring two historic stops: first Abu Dhabi for the Abu Dhabi Championship, followed by Dubai for the DP World Tour Championship.

Speaking to Sky Sports Golf on the sidelines of the BMW PGA Championship, DPWT CEO Guy Kinnings confirmed that preparations are proceeding as planned:

“A lot of people are asking us about this, and it’s an obvious question.”

“The reality is that we fully intend to play in Abu Dhabi and Dubai.”

“Work has already begun, and we are setting up the infrastructure at Yas Links and Jumeirah Golf Estates; our intention is to move forward.”

“Clearly, we need to stay in touch with our travel consultants and everyone assisting us, but our definitive plan is to hold the playoffs in the United Arab Emirates.”

Understandably, the DP World Tour is striving to maintain a steady course, yet it must also address the concerns expressed by the players. Also at Wentworth, Matt Fitzpatrick got straight to the point:

“To be completely honest, as things stand right now, I’d say I don’t feel very comfortable.”

“Some things have obviously changed for me… I had a child in August, and I think that changes things a bit more.”

“Given how things are going, and what I’m reading, I’d feel a bit uneasy. I took a look at a UK website and saw that the authorities have adjusted their travel advice, slightly easing the situation.”

“I believe that if the Tour decides to go ahead, they will have sought the best possible advice on the situation. As it stands, though, I wouldn’t be too keen on going.”

DPWT officials are clearly aware of the players' reservations; consequently, as reported by the *Daily Mail*, they are devising a "Plan B" by identifying alternative venues to host the season's concluding events.

Potential candidates include the Real Club de Sotogrande (which hosted the Andalucía Masters) and several courses in Portugal, though these remain internal DPWT considerations.

What is certain is that an escalation in conflicts—particularly the one involving the United States and Iran—would turn this alternative plan into much more than just a hypothetical possibility.

Alexander Zverev has strongly denied that he was flirting in any way with Trinity Rodman when he made comments about her following his US Open final win over Ben Shelton.

After defeating Shelton, the German tennis star addressed Rodman during the trophy ceremony and joked about her being Shelton's lucky charm. The 24-year-old American, who is a soccer star, had actually played a match earlier that day but still managed to catch the end of the final.

“Trinity, I thought you had a match today, no? Well played to you too. You're the lucky charm. Not today, but usually..." Zverev said during the trophy ceremony.

Zverev to Ben Shelton’s girlfriend & soccer star Trinity Rodman after beating Ben in the U.S. Open final “Trinity, I thought you had a game today, no? Well done to you as well. You’re the lucky charm. Not today, but usually” 😭😭😭😭😭 pic.twitter.com/OVenNJQCyg

— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) September 13, 2026

Some members of the tennis community felt the world No. 2's remarks were disrespectful and unnecessary, while others simply viewed them as a joke that didn't land well.

Zverev later said that he knew Rodman had played that day and insisted that he simply didn't expect to see her in the crowd after her own match.

Some critics have gone as far as to claim that Zverev was actually trying to flirt with Shelton's girlfriend. Asked about it publicly, the new two-time Grand Slam champion strongly denied that was the case. 

“Trinity Rodman? No, no, definitely not," the 29-year-old German stated.

"I love Ben, I love his father, I love his whole family, I like Trinity quite a lot. I think whoever thinks that I was flirting or anything like that are idiots.”

Meanwhile, Zverev is in a long-term relationship with Sophia Thomalla as the two have been together since going public in 2021.

Team Europe will enter the second day of the Laver Cup with a 3-1 advantage over Team World.

In the last match of the opening day, Carlos Alcaraz and Jakub Mensik ousted Taylor Fritz and Alexander Bublik 6-4, 6-4 in an hour and 27 minutes.

Non-stop magic from 🪄 #LaverCup pic.twitter.com/CgK5xDOdTC

— Tennis Channel (@TennisChannel) September 25, 2026

Carlos provided his fourth doubles victory at this competition from five matches, delivering his 16th Laver Cup point and moving two behind Roger Federer. 

The European team played better behind the second serve and in the pivotal moments. Alcaraz and Mensik saved all five break points and provided two breaks from four opportunities to bring the victory home.

Carlos and Jakub had to dig deep in the fourth game of the duel. They faced three break points after Bublik's forehand down the line winner and denied them before holding after the Czech's smash winner.

Alexander and Taylor saved a break point in the fifth game to remain on the positive side and earned a chance to move in front in the next one. The European squad saved two break points and locked the result at 3-3.

Alcaraz and Mensik made a push on the return in the seventh game, and the Spaniard claimed an entertaining point with a smash winner for a 4-3 advantage. 

They served well in games eight and ten for 6-4 after 41 minutes. Carlos and Jakub provided five comfortable holds in the second set and kept the pressure on the other side.

Team Europe secured a break in the third game of the second set and moved further closer to the finish line. Alcaraz clinched the eighth game with a stop-volley winner and landed another at 5-4 on a match point to send him squad over the top.

Grigor Dimitrov is seemingly still not thinking about retirement as the three-time Grand Slam semifinalist hints he plans to compete for at least a couple more years.

The Bulgarian tennis star, who turned pro in 2007 and celebrated his 35th birthday in May, has been going through one of the most challenging stretches of his career over the last 15 months.

If you can recall, Dimitrov was in full control of his 2025 Wimbledon round-of-16 match against Jannik Sinner as he was up by two sets before suffering an extremely unfortunate injury after tearing his right pectoral major muscle and tendon. The Bulgarian was forced to immediately retire from the match and played in only one tournament for the remainder of 2025.

While Dimitrov was able to kick off his 2026 season on time, he has been far from his old form and has struggled heavily with his results and consistency. As a result, the former world No. 3 is just 9-14 at the main level in 2026 and has even appeared in four Challenger tournaments this year, but without much success.

Also, in April, Dimitrov exited the top-100 for the first time since March 2012 - he is currently ranked No. 127 in the world.

Some have suggested that age is catching up with Dimitrov and that it is time for the Bulgarian tennis veteran to end his pro tennis journey. However, the nine-time ATP champion doesn't seem to have such intentions.

“I am just super grateful about that and I am trying to stay in the present moment, which is the most important thing for me right now. Of course, I still have some years left in me to play, but for me being able to still do what I do and giving myself that chance is huge for me," the 35-year-old told Bolavip.

After losing in the US Open first round as a qualifier, Dimitrov returned to the Challenger level this week, but failed to catch some momentum after losing to Edas Butvilas in the St. Tropez first round.

The Presidents Cup is the tournament where the United States faces the rest of the world—provided "the rest of the world" doesn't include Europe. Given recent Ryder Cups, this looks less like a geographical distinction and more like a federation-led initiative to restore American golf’s self-esteem. For the past few years, to make matters even more lopsided, a significant number of top players—especially on the International side—have been missing, having defected to LIV Golf. The format remains captivating, emotionally charged, and slightly flawed—like a three-wheeled supercar: it makes noise, turns heads, and, as it happens, almost always ends up in the same hands.

From September 24 to 27, on Medinah’s new Course No. 3, the American team will attempt to win for the eleventh consecutive time. The overall record stands at 13 US victories, one International victory, and one tie. To put it less diplomatically: the Internationals haven't lifted this trophy since 1998, and since 2003, they haven't even managed to avoid losing it. Enough time has passed to turn Adam Scott into a veteran, a legend, and practically a UNESCO-protected historical monument.

And yet, we keep waiting for it. That’s because match play transforms normally polite players into people who fist-pump after a par, turns a one-meter putt into a matter of foreign policy, and consistently delivers spectacular matches. The question of the week, then, isn't whether the United States is stronger. They are—by a wide margin. The question is whether Geoff Ogilvy (this edition’s International Captain) can compress that superiority into 30 matches that are short, nerve-wracking, and often decided by just two putts holed at the right moment.

The history of the Presidents Cup doesn't just hint at American dominance; it screams it through a megaphone. The Internationals’ only victory came in 1998 at Royal Melbourne—a 20.5 to 11.5 rout so decisive it looked like a misprint. Shigeki Maruyama, the "Smiling Assassin," finished with a 5-0-0 record; to this day, he is spoken of much like sightings of Halley’s Comet: with respect, nostalgia, and the realization that it might not happen again in our lifetime.

In 2003, at Fancourt in South Africa, the tournament ended in a 17-17 draw. Tiger Woods and Ernie Els played three playoff holes without a winner emerging; Woods holed a putt of about four and a half meters for par, Els matched him from nearly two meters out, and then darkness prompted Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player to agree to share the cup. It was one of modern golf’s most beautiful and bizarre finishes: two captains deciding that neither side deserved to lose—a solution that, today, would trigger the formation of three committees, seven podcasts, and at least one 48-post thread debating the lack of a "killer instinct."

Since then, however, the poetry has vanished. Ten consecutive American victories. In 2019 at Royal Melbourne, the Internationals entered Sunday with a 10-8 lead, only for player-captain Tiger to spearhead a comeback that turned the tide to 16-14 in the US's favor. In 2024 in Montreal, the United States swept the opening session 5-0; the Internationals responded with a magnificent 5-0 sweep on Friday—a rare moment when the cup finally seemed up for grabs—but the final score was once again 18.5 to 11.5 for the USA. This competition excels at selling hope on Friday, only to present the bill very early on Sunday.

Consider the world rankings of the 24 players named to the teams. The American average is 16.25. The International team’s figure is 49.4. The median is even more brutal: 9.5 versus 53. Eleven out of twelve Americans are ranked in the world’s top 30; the only exception is Jackson Koivun—ranked 57th—who is 21, turned pro in July, won in his third PGA Tour start, and is already ranked 22nd by Data Golf. A devastating weakness, practically speaking.

On the other side, only Si Woo Kim is in the top 20, at number 14. Ryan Fox is 22nd, Hideki Matsuyama 27th, Min Woo Lee 30th, and Tom Kim 31st. Then the rankings drop down to Christiaan Bezuidenhout at number 104 (a player I personally adore). That doesn’t mean Bezuidenhout is dead weight: his Presidents Cup record is 3-1-1—magnificent and entirely consistent with the fact that match play loves to humiliate spreadsheets. It does mean, however, that Ogilvy needs above-average performances in almost every session, whereas Brandt Snedeker can afford to have two or three players simply have an average week.

Past records tell the same story. Excluding rookies and aggregating Presidents Cup results, the nine experienced Americans have a combined record of 47 wins, 26 losses, and 8 draws—securing nearly 63 percent of available points. The eight International players with prior experience have a combined record of 49 wins, 67 losses, and 16 draws—just over 43 percent. It isn’t a perfect comparison, given the varying opponents, pairings, and number of matches, but it illustrates the psychological weight of the week: some Americans arrive knowing how to win, while too many Internationals arrive remembering how they lost. The American luxury of leaving the winner at home.

Mischa Zverev has laughed off complaints about Alexander Zverev's extended ball-bouncing routine before serve by suggesting that successful players will always have something that people criticize.

During the US Open, Alexander faced criticism several times over the amount of time he was taking and the number of times he was bouncing the ball before serving.

After Karen Khachanov suffered a semifinal loss to the world No. 2, he admitted that he found the German's routine annoying - and claimed that he wasn't the only player who felt that way.

“It annoys not only me, but a lot of players. You’re ready and then it’s another 12 bounces," Khachanov said when asked about Alexander's serve habit. 

Then, during the US Open final between the German and Ben Shelton, the American tennis star's father and coach Bryan also complained about it.

“Sasha bounces the ball so many times it just kind of puts you off," Bryan Shelton said during an in-final interview on ESPN when asked how his son could adjust to the world No. 2's game.

Tallon Griekspoor also called out Zverev's ball bouncing, saying that he finds it hard to watch the new two-time Grand Slam champion because he "bounces the ball 400 times before every serve."

Asked about the criticism surrounding his younger brother's pre-serve routine, Mischa didn't seem to be too fazed about it. 

"I don't think anyone cares about that (laughs). It's the same as when someone wins a Grand Slam and somebody complains about the color of their socks. There is always something people can write about or say," Mischa told SPORT1.

"That's completely normal if you look at the last 25 years. At one point it was Lleyton Hewitt with his 'Come on,' then Rafael Nadal with his pre-serve rituals, then Sharapova with her grunting. It's always been like that and it always will be.

"When someone wins and is successful, there will always be someone who says: I personally don't like this or that."

When asked about Bryan Shelton's comments during the final, Alexander delivered a lighthearted reaction and admitted that he may have taken it a bit too far in New York.

“I think I have to criticize myself. It was a bit extreme this tournament,” the new two-time Grand Slam champion said about his serve habit. 

While Zverev may be taking his time before serve, he is not breaching any rule as long as he serves before the serve clock expires.

Rafael Jodar wasted no time in his Laver Cup debut for Team Europe, beating Alexander Bublik 6-2, 6-3 in an hour and 24 minutes.

Thus, Team Europe leads Team World 2-1 ahead of the final match of the opening day, the one that will include Carlos Alcaraz.

Advantage Restored 💪 Rafa defeats Bublik 6-2, 6-3 to give Team Europe a 2-1 lead over Team World 🤝#LaverCup pic.twitter.com/7xE1zhNADU

— ATP Tour (@atptour) September 25, 2026

The young Spaniard struggled to find the first serve. However, no one could notice that, especially after denying two of three break points. Bublik stood miles behind those numbers.

The Kazakh lost over half of the points in his games and experienced four breaks from nine opportunities offered to his opponent. Jodar tamed his strokes nicely and made an impressive debut at the prestigious competition. 

He is also the second-youngest player to win a singles match at the Laver Cup after his coeval Joao Fonseca, who achieved that last year. The servers had to dig deep at the start of the duel, with six break points in three straight games. 

They denied them (Bublik saved four) before Rafael made another push on the return at 3-2. The 20-year-old provided a break to move in front and notched another at 5-2 to wrap up the first part of the duel in style. 

Not stopping there, the Spaniard grabbed another return game at the beginning of the second set and raced into a 3-0 lead before providing his fourth straight break for a total domination. 

Alexander pulled one break back in the fifth game, but it was too late for any kind of comeback. Jodar served well in games seven and nine to move over the top in style and make a memorable Laver Cup debut.

Maja Chwalinska admitted that she had some tough weeks following the French Open and that it feels good to finally get something positive going at the Singapore Open.

After stunningly reaching her first Grand Slam final at the French Open as the 114th-ranked qualifier, the rising Polish tennis star received a wildcard for Wimbledon and made a strong start to her first-round match after going 6-2 5-2 up.

But then, Chwalinska suffered an extremely unfortunate injury after slipping on the grass and hurting her ankle. While the world No. 25 managed to play out the entire match, she was clearly limited by the injury and even cried on the court before losing to Mananchaya Sawangkaew in three sets.

After the brutal end to her Wimbledon run, the Pole struggled heavily on hard courts during the summer as she went just 1-4 across Toronto, Cincinnati, Monterrey and the US Open.

After going just 1-5 across her first five post-French Open tournaments, Chwalinska is finally finding her groove again in Singapore this week.

On Friday, the No. 5 seed delivered an outstanding performance to dismantle defending champion Elise Mertens 6-2 6-2 and reach her first semifinal since Roland Garros.

Before beating Mertens, Chwalinska also clinched straight-set wins over Rebecca Sramkova 6-4 6-2 and Oleksandra Oliynykova 6-0 6-1.

Maja Chwalinska having an INCREDIBLE week in Singapore. R1: d. Sramkova 6-4, 6-2 R2: d. Oliynykova 6-0, 6-1 QF: d. Mertens (defending champ) 6-2, 6-2 Into her second career tour-level semifinal, after the RG final. pic.twitter.com/kU0fWl7HNr

— José Morgado (@josemorgado) September 25, 2026

Following her win over Mertens, the Pole acknowledged that the last couple of months hadn't been easy and that patience and hard work are finally paying off.

"It's impossible to play great every single week, so it's just about consistency and work and you gotta be patient also. I'm happy that I stayed quite patient, I worked hard and it's paying off now. I had some tough weeks so this one tastes pretty good, I must admit," the 24-year-old admitted after reaching the Singapore semifinal.

For a place in the Singapore final, Chwalinska will face Leylah Fernandez, who upset top seed Mirra Andreeva.

Carlos Alcaraz has admitted that he "suffered" during his US Open quarterfinal against Ben Shelton, but also says he enjoyed the occasion because he had "missed that feeling."

After suffering a wrist injury in his second clay tournament in Barcelona and being forced to miss the French Open and Wimbledon, the Spanish tennis star also missed the start of the North American hard-court swing, but was able to launch his singles comeback at the US Open.

And Alcaraz immediately returned to winning ways by taking his opening four matches in New York. But, sadly for the Spaniard, he failed to go all the way at Flushing Meadows after Shelton edged him out 6-7 (5) 6-1 6-3 1-6 7-6 (7) in a match that finished at 3:33 a.m. - which was the latest finish in US Open history.

Speaking with reporters following his US Open exit, Alcaraz said that he was leaving the court "happy and with a smile." Some later questioned his honesty.

I love a great attitude! 👏🏼 Carlos Alcaraz on his defeat: “I leave the court happy. I leave the court with a smile, healthy, and this is what I needed." https://t.co/rZoXxoDrax

— AIYAH (@Aiyah1) September 9, 2026

However, the 23-year-old Spaniard remains firm in his statement.

"The quarterfinal was great - it was a gift for me. I suffered, but I enjoyed and that's why I smiled when I walked out of the court because I missed that feeling," Alcaraz told BBC Sport.

When asked directly about playing so late against Shelton, the current world No. 3 admitted that he would prefer to avoid late starts and finishes in the future.

"I think it's too much. The last match people stayed but if that match was played earlier, the court could have been packed. I would like to change the schedule a little with a maximum finish at 11 p.m. or whatever would be better," the seven-time Grand Slam champion explained.

Meanwhile, Alcaraz returns to action this weekend as he is set to play at the Laver Cup in London.

The Laver Cup is a tournament that is attracting more and more interest from tennis fans, who hope this year's edition will bring a lot of excitement and adrenaline.

Over the last few years, many experts and analysts have compared the Laver Cup and the Davis Cup, giving their opinions on which tournament is more important and more prestigious.

Greg Rusedski believes the Laver Cup has now become a bigger event than the Davis Cup, at least when it comes to the attention the two competitions are getting at the moment.

The former world No. 4 has a lot of experience with team tennis. Rusedski represented Great Britain in the Davis Cup for 13 years and played 43 rubbers, finishing with a 30-13 record. That also gives his latest comments some extra context.

The Davis Cup has a much longer history. It started in 1900, while the first Laver Cup was played in Prague in 2017. Still, Rusedski believes the newer competition is currently attracting more interest from tennis fans.

He explained that he noticed it even in his local gym before this year's event in London. People were asking him about the Laver Cup, while he heard almost nothing about the Davis Cup.

Rusedski spoke about the two competitions while previewing this year's Laver Cup. He said people around him were interested in seeing stars such as Carlos Alcaraz, Alexander Zverev and Taylor Fritz at The O2.

"There was no talk about the Davis Cup," Rusedski said.

The Brit also pointed out that moving the Laver Cup from city to city helps the event. London is hosting it for the second time after the 2022 edition, when Roger Federer played the final professional match of his career.

The 53-year-old expects The O2 to be full during the three days of competition. He also believes the list of players gives the event something different compared to the Davis Cup.

Rusedski eventually gave a clear answer when comparing the two competitions, saying the Laver Cup "at the moment, is bigger than the Davis Cup."

He added that the Davis Cup still has work to do to bring more attention back to the event.

The former US Open finalist has spoken about problems around the Davis Cup format before. In 2018, when big changes to the competition were approved, Rusedski said that changes were needed, although he did not like removing so many traditional home-and-away ties.

A few years later, he repeated a similar opinion and said the old format created something special for players and fans. Rusedski remembered playing home ties in Birmingham and travelling around the world with the British team.

His connection with the Davis Cup was quite long. After choosing to represent Great Britain in 1995, Rusedski played in the competition for 13 straight years. He also ended his professional career after a Davis Cup win in 2007.

The Davis Cup has changed again since the first big reform. In 2026, countries play two qualifying rounds, while the eight remaining teams advance to the Final 8 in Bologna in November. The early rounds still include home-and-away ties.

The Laver Cup has a much shorter history, although some of the biggest names of the last decade have played there. Federer helped create the competition, which was designed to put six players from Europe against six players from the rest of the world.

Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic have also appeared at the event, while Alcaraz has become one of the main names in recent editions.

This year's tournament returns to The O2 from September 25 to 27. Team Europe is captained by Yannick Noah, while Andre Agassi is leading Team World for the second year.

Alcaraz, Zverev, Flavio Cobolli, Rafael Jodar, Jakub Mensik and Casper Ruud are representing Europe. Taylor Fritz, Alex de Minaur, Brandon Nakashima, Alexander Bublik, Learner Tien and Francisco Cerundolo are on the other side.

Team World arrives as the defending champion after beating Europe 15-9 in San Francisco last year. Europe still leads the overall Laver Cup series 5-3 after eight completed editions.

The scoring system is another part that makes the event different. A win is worth one point on Friday, two on Saturday and three on Sunday. The first team to reach 13 points takes the trophy.

Greg Rusedski's comments also produced a lot of reactions on social media. Some fans were not really happy with his opinion, claiming that the Davis Cup is still a much more prestigious competition because of its longer tradition and history.

However, there were also some people who believe that if the Laver Cup continues to develop in this direction, it could reach a very high level in the future and possibly become even bigger than the Davis Cup.

The 2026 Laver Cup begins on Friday at The O2, while the Davis Cup season will continue with the Final 8 in Bologna in November.

Although she is not yet at the very top of the tennis scene, Alex Eala continues to impress tennis fans, who often share words of praise for her on social media.

The Filipina has set the bar quite high this season by playing very good tennis from tournament to tournament.

That is also why fans of the young player, not only in the Philippines but around the world, expected her to make a very good result at the Singapore Tennis Open. However, that did not happen.

Alex Eala's return to competition did not end in the way she hoped, as the Filipina suffered a surprising defeat to Tatiana Prozorova at the Singapore Tennis Open.

The 21-year-old was playing her first tournament since the US Open and entered Singapore as the third seed. However, world No. 180 Prozorova produced a comeback and defeated Eala 4-6, 7-5, 6-3 after three hours and nine minutes.

Eala had several chances to put the match under her control. After taking the opening set, she also led 4-2 in the second before Prozorova found a way back.

The Russian later continued her comeback in the deciding set and recorded the biggest win of her career. Eala was disappointed after the match, although she already knows where her attention will go next.

Speaking after the defeat, the current world No. 18 admitted she needs some time to look at the match and understand what she could have done differently.

“Disappointed. I think I'll just take the time to see what could have been improved and take the time to learn,” Eala said.

Her next challenge is already close. The Filipina will travel to Japan to represent her country at the 2026 Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya.

“Of course now process the loss and all sights set on Nagoya (Asian Games 2026),” she added.

The tennis competition begins on September 27, meaning Eala does not have a long period to think about what happened in Singapore.

Prozorova also had some nice words for the Filipina after their long battle.

“Amazing battle, amazing match against Alexandra. I knew that she’s a very good fighter,” the Russian said.

Eala had decided several weeks ago that the Asian Games would be an important part of her schedule. She will miss the China Open in Beijing in order to play for the Philippines in Japan.

That choice was not difficult for the 21-year-old, who has regularly spoken about how much she enjoys playing team competitions and representing her country.

After losing to Iva Jovic at the US Open earlier this month, Eala explained why she wanted to go to Nagoya.

“I love playing and competing with the Philippine team. In the SEA Games, the Asian Games, I've also done [that],” Eala said.

“I think it's a really fun environment, and I love being with the team, especially this last SEA Games in December. I had such a great time. I think they're really memories that stick with me. And the Asian Games happen once every four years. I just found myself drawn to competing in that, aside from other stuff.”

Despite the early exit in Singapore, Alex has already enjoyed the best season of her career.

The Filipina won her first WTA Tour title in Washington in August, defeating Jessica Pegula 4-6, 6-4, 6-0 in the final. She became the first woman from the Philippines to win a WTA singles title in the Open Era.

That tournament also included wins over Zheng Qinwen, Leylah Fernandez, Elina Svitolina and Naomi Osaka before her final against Pegula.

“I’m over the moon. I’m super happy. Taking it all in right now. Just pure happiness,” Eala said after winning the title.

“I think I ended this tournament in better shape than I started. I think each match I kept improving and kept learning things about myself.”

The 21-year-old also reached the fourth round at Wimbledon this year and later moved to a career-high ranking of No. 18.

Her rise started much earlier. Eala attracted a lot of attention during the 2025 Miami Open, where she defeated Madison Keys and Iga Swiatek on the way to the semifinals. She later reached the Eastbourne final and finished that season inside the top 50.

Representing the Philippines is another important part of her career. Eala already won two bronze medals at the previous Asian Games in Hangzhou, taking medals in women's singles and mixed doubles.

She also won the women's singles gold medal at the SEA Games in 2025, something she later described as one of the memories that stayed with her.

Her attention will now move completely to the Asian Games, where the tennis competition starts on September 27 at the Higashiyama Park Tennis Center.

Filipino fans are already claiming on social media that Alex Eala could make a great result and once again create positive reactions back home. Knowing how motivated she is going into this tournament, there is little doubt that Eala will probably give her maximum to make her country proud.

In the first duel at this year's Laver Cup in London, Casper Ruud prevailed over Francisco Cerundolo 6-7, 6-4, 10-8 after two hours and six minutes.

The Norwegian bounced back after dropping the opener and clinched the final two points in the match tie break to send Team Europe into an early lead.

As reações de Alcaraz são únicas! Olha como o espanhol ficou quando Ruud venceu Cerundolo no primeiro jogo da Laver Cup! pic.twitter.com/SR6xiK9cAI

— Marcela Linhares (@ma__linharess) September 25, 2026

The Argentine claimed one point more than the Norwegian. However, it was not enough to send him over the top despite losing serve once and building a 5-3 advantage in the match tie break.

Casper denied the only break point he faced and provided a single break in the second set from four opportunities. It all came down to the final couple of points, and the crowd at the O2 Arena would love to see more tight duels already on the opening day. 

Both players served well in the first set, with only a couple of deuces and no chances for the returners. They traded early mini-breaks before Cerundolo grabbed another in the fifth point. 

He served well and moved 5-2 in front before taking another return point at 5-3 for three set points. World no. 22 seized the second to wrap up the first part of the duel after 66 minutes.

The Norwegian denied a pivotal break point in the fourth game of the second set. He secured his only break of serve in the ninth game and held in the next one to clinch the set 6-4 and introduce a deciding match tie break. 

Francisco led 3-1 and 5-3, although he could not maintain the advantage. Ruud secured a decisive mini-break at 8-8 and landed a smash winner on a match point to seal the deal in style.

Alexander Zverev has entered one of tennis' most familiar debates ahead of the Laver Cup.

Asked to choose between Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, the Hamburg native had a clear answer.

Zverev: “Where is the secret tree? I want to know.” Djokovic: “It’s a secret. I will reveal it when I retire.” Zverev: “The problem is I will retire before you do. 😂“ Zverev: “Novak and I have a deal that he will be my coach once he retires.”pic.twitter.com/V8aWOKi3Kg https://t.co/udVSmOhHAM

— Danny (@DjokovicFan_) September 23, 2026

The two-time Major champion pointed to Djokovic's extraordinary statistical record as the main reason for his choice. The Serbian holds the record for the most Major titles, leaving his greatest rivals behind following a stellar run between 2011 and 2023.

In addition, the Belgrade native stands alone at the top of the ATP throne with over 400 No. 1 weeks. All those numbers make it difficult to look past Djokovic. 

The German and the Serb have been friends for years, supporting each other and often training together. Zverev acknowledged that choosing between the three legends is extremely difficult. 

Federer, Nadal and Djokovic each built remarkable careers and dominated different parts of the sport's modern era. However, when it comes to pure numbers and achievements, Alexander believes Novak has the strongest case.

The Hamburg native specifically highlighted his 24 Major trophies and his record time at the top of the ATP Rankings, crowned with incredible eight year-end No. 1 honors.

Those achivements are particularly important in Zverev's reasoning because they provide measurable evidence across the most important categories of a player's career.

In addition, Novak leads the H2H against both Roger and Rafa after dominating their rivalries since the beginning of his domination. 

The German's answer also reflects how difficult it is to separate bhe Big 3 purely through personal preference. Roger brought an extraordinary level of elegance and consistency during his finest years.

Rafa's dominance on clay and incredible longevity created another historic career, crowned with 22 Major titles and over 900 consecutive top-10 weeks between 2005 and 2023. 

However, Alexander returned to Novak's numbers. With the Laver Cup bringing many of the sport's biggest names together, the GOAT debate is once again in the spotlight. 

For Alexander, however, there was little hesitation when he had to make his choice: Novak Djokovic. The Serb remains in the top-20 despite turning 39 and reducing his schedule. 

He reached the Australian Open and the Wimbledon semi-final, remaining capable of embracing deep runs on the most notable stageat the age when his coevals have already retired. 

"I think that from a statistical standpoint, Novak has to be the GOAT. He has won the most Major titles and held the world No. 1 spot the longest. It’s tough to pick between Novak, Roger and Rafa, but it has to be him," Alexander Zverev said.

Wimbledon finalists Karolina Muchova and Linda Noskova delivered for the Czech Republic on Friday and propelled their nation into the Billie Jean King Cup final.

Playing against Spain's Jessica Bouzas Maneiro, Muchova - who finished as runner-up to Noskova in the Wimbledon final - struggled to find her rhythm early on and fell 2-4 behind.

However, the world No. 8 didn't panic, getting the break back in the seventh game and then earning another in the 11th game to go 6-5 up before serving out the opener in the following game.

The second set was much less dramatic for Muchova as she collected a break midway through the set and just held her serve to complete a 7-5 6-4 win over Bouzas Maneiro.

What a night for Karolina Muchova 🤩🇨🇿 Czechia are leading the tie against Spain 1-0 😤 #BJKCup pic.twitter.com/PDbNAI8s6R

— Billie Jean King Cup (@BJKCup) September 25, 2026

After Muchova gave the Czech Republic an early lead, Noskova opened a 5-2 lead in her match against Cristina Bucsa but struggled to close out the set after missing out on two set points and failing to serve out the opener in the ninth game.

The reigning Wimbledon champion then found herself in trouble after Bucsa went 4-2 up in the first-set tie-break, but responded by taking the next three points - and ultimately clinching her third set point - which she converted to finally win the first set.

Bucsa's level completely collapsed after losing a tight opener as Noskova cruised through the second set and won the last five games to complete a 7-6 (5) 6-2 win.

OUR FIRST FINALISTS 😍 Linda Noskova sends Czechia to the #BJKCup Finals in straight sets 🤩 🇨🇿 pic.twitter.com/WLdyDio1Di

— Billie Jean King Cup (@BJKCup) September 25, 2026

By beating Spain, the Czech Republic became the first nation to book a Billie Jean King Cup final ticket in Shenzhen.

However, before the Czechs learn about their final opponent, Italy and Ukraine will have to play out their semifinal clash.

Muchova and Noskova will aim to bring the Czech Republic its 12th Billie Jean King Cup title on Sunday.

Carlos Alcaraz attracts a lot of public attention at almost every tournament he plays.

Having a player like him at major tournaments is one of the reasons why more tickets are sold and why there is always a lot of interest in his matches.

The Spanish tennis player is currently competing at the Laver Cup, and many fans are delighted to see him there. A lot of people are now wondering how far the 23-year-old can go at this tournament.

Carlos Alcaraz is finally back on the tennis court after spending more than four months away from competition because of a right wrist problem.

The Spaniard returned at the US Open and reached the quarterfinals, where Ben Shelton ended his run in New York. It was still an important tournament for the 23-year-old, who had not played an official singles match since Barcelona in April.

Carlos also used his time in New York to speak about something that has become a big topic on the ATP Tour. The former world No. 1 stressed that the tennis calendar is very difficult and admitted that he plans to take longer breaks in the future.

That statement also reached Yannick Noah. The Team Europe captain admitted that he was a little worried when he heard Alcaraz talking about missing some tournaments.

Noah wanted the seven-time Grand Slam tournament champion in his team at the Laver Cup in London, where Team Europe is trying to respond after losing to Team World in San Francisco last year.

Speaking on the Off Court with Greg Rusedski podcast, Noah said he enjoys having Alcaraz around the team and likes the energy that the Spanish player brings.

"It's always a pleasure to have Carlos in the team. I love the kid, he's a great kid," Noah said.

The Frenchman then admitted that the comments from New York made him think about the possibility of Alcaraz deciding not to play in London.

"And yes I was worried, during the tournament when the players started to talk about too many tournaments, too much travelling," Noah said.

Alcaraz had a good reason to speak about his schedule. His wrist injury forced him to miss Roland Garros, Wimbledon and several other tournaments during the spring and summer.

He finally announced his return shortly before the US Open. The Spaniard said before his first match that his team had tested the wrist with long and intense practice sessions before deciding he was ready for best-of-five tennis again.

After beating Jaime Faria in the second round, Alcaraz spoke more directly about the calendar. He said he does not want another long absence to happen because of an injury.

"In the future, I'm going to take some breaks, some long breaks," Alcaraz said.

He also pointed out that playing every important tournament is almost impossible when Grand Slam tournaments, Masters 1000 events and other obligations are included in the schedule.

Alcaraz was not the only top player dealing with physical problems during this period. Jannik Sinner missed the US Open, while several other familiar names have also had injury problems during the season.

Noah eventually received the news he wanted. Alcaraz travelled to London and is part of Team Europe for the third straight Laver Cup.

The 23-year-old practiced on the black court at The O2 earlier this week and Noah said he was delighted to have him back around the group.

The French captain also stressed that Alcaraz is useful for more than only the points he can win on court. His personality and energy are another reason Noah wanted him in the team.

Noah has tried to stay close to his players during the season as well. The former Roland Garros champion has called members of Team Europe after good results and also checked on them when injuries created problems.

Alcaraz has already had a lot of success at the competition. He owns a 6-2 record from his first two appearances and has collected 15 points for Team Europe.

He made his debut in Berlin in 2024 and helped Europe win the trophy. Last year in San Francisco, he again won three matches, although Team World eventually took the title 15-9 under Andre Agassi.

This time Noah has Alcaraz, Alexander Zverev, Flavio Cobolli, Rafael Jodar, Jakub Mensik and Casper Ruud available. Tim Henman is again working as his vice-captain.

Alcaraz will already be involved on the opening day in London. He is scheduled to play doubles together with Mensik against Alexander Bublik and Taylor Fritz on Friday night.

The Spaniard enters the event ranked world No. 3 after his long injury break. His first months of 2026 still included an Australian Open title, which completed his career Grand Slam at the age of 22.

The Laver Cup runs from September 25 to 27 at The O2. Noah and Team Europe are trying to take the trophy back after losing last year's edition to Agassi's Team World.

Mirra Andreeva is out of Singapore in the quarterfinal stage after delivering an error-strewn display and spraying 41 unforced errors during a 2-6 5-7 loss to No. 6 seed Leylah Fernandez.

Early in the match, the top-seeded Russian missed out on two consecutive break points in the third game before surrendering her own serve in the fourth, sixth and eighth games.

Facing a set point in the eighth game, Andreeva openly displayed her frustration by hitting the ball away before spraying a double fault to lose the first set.

Leylah Fernandez nicks the first set against Mirra Andreeva That’s a proper upset start. The No. 6 seed is taking time away and making the top seed uncomfortable. Mirra will not like that one bit pic.twitter.com/Hp9hCoyrup

— Bilyamin..🦅🇳🇬 (@nigerianpapi_ng) September 25, 2026

After dropping the first set, Andreeva appeared to have gained some momentum at the start of the second set after breaking Fernandez in the third game. However, the Russian tennis star's momentum was short-lived as she continued to make errors and dropped the next four games as the Canadian went 5-2 up.

And while the top-seeded Russian refused to quit and even came back to level the second set at 5-5, she still ended up losing in straight sets after dropping the next two games.

Fernandez on fire 🔥@leylahfernandez defeats No.1 seed Andreeva in straight sets! #SgTennisOpen pic.twitter.com/wnJNEqbHmQ

— wta (@WTA) September 25, 2026

Since becoming a Grand Slam champion at the French Open, Andreeva has taken part in six tournaments and has only twice reached the quarterfinal.

On the other side, Fernandez is through to her first semifinal of the year at the WTA 500 tournament in Singapore.

For a place in the Singapore final, Fernandez will battle French Open runner-up Maja Chwalinska, who defeated Elise Mertens earlier today.

Alexander Bublik has become one of the most interesting players on the ATP Tour in recent years, and Andre Agassi believes there is still more the Kazakh can show.

The 29-year-old is making his Laver Cup debut in London after being selected by Team World captain Agassi. Bublik will have a busy opening day at The O2, as he first faces Rafael Jodar in singles before playing doubles alongside Taylor Fritz against Carlos Alcaraz and Jakub Mensik.

Agassi already had the chance to work closely with Bublik in practice this week. The eight-time Grand Slam champion likes the personality of the Kazakh, although there are a few parts of his game that he wants him to think about.

Bublik is known for unusual shots, underarm serves and a style that can be difficult for opponents to predict. Agassi joked that he likes Bublik's smile, although he is not such a big fan of his chip forehand return.

The former world No. 1 then spoke more seriously about the 29-year-old. Agassi said Bublik has a lot of variety and unpredictability, but he also believes there is a place for more controlled aggression in his tennis.

According to the American veteran, Bublik does not always need to take a big risk when he is already capable of hurting an opponent through more normal shots. Agassi wants him to find the right balance between the creative tennis he likes to play and simpler ways of winning points.

“When I look at him, I try to remind him that while you can live in a high-wire act and get away with it,” Agassi said.

Agassi added that there are other ways to win a match and that a player does not always need to feel at 100%.

Agassi explained that top players are not at their absolute best every week. For him, the important thing is giving everything that is available on that particular day.

“When I see somebody who’s trying to be perfect when it’s not necessary, I’d just like them to remember how good they are,” he added.

Agassi had another reason for choosing Bublik. When looking at players, the former world No. 1 said he asks himself whether they are getting everything possible from their game over a long period and not only during a few good tournaments.

Bublik has already had a very good period over the last year. He won four ATP titles in 2025, taking trophies in Halle, Gstaad, Kitzbuhel and Hangzhou, before finishing the season at a career-high No. 11.

The Kazakh started 2026 by winning Hong Kong after defeating Lorenzo Musetti in the final. The title moved him into the top 10 for the first time and made him the first Kazakhstani man to reach that part of the ATP rankings.

His first Laver Cup appearance now gives him something different. Bublik has spent a lot of time listening to Agassi during practice in London and said he appreciates having a former champion looking closely at his tennis.

“He gave me a lot of advice,” Bublik said, adding that it is useful to hear what a champion thinks about his game and possible ceiling.

Bublik also said the experience is quite unique because players normally do not get the chance to be coached by someone like Agassi. The Kazakh believes he can learn a lot from the short period they spend together in London.

The current world No. 17 also spoke about Agassi's mentality as a captain and believes the American wants to get the best out of every member of Team World.

“That’s what great captains do, what great people do,” Bublik said.

Agassi had already spoken positively about Bublik when he selected him for Team World in June. The American described him as one of the most gifted and unpredictable players in tennis and pointed out his ability to produce shots that many players would not even try.

Bublik was delighted when his place was announced. He said he had watched and admired the Laver Cup for years and was happy to finally get an opportunity to play in the competition.

The 29-year-old also joked this week that he had signed papers with Agassi and Pat Rafter which stopped him from using underarm serves or smiling after points. He added that his job was to bring good tennis and some laughs to Team World.

Considering that Andre Agassi showed a lot of trust in him, Alexander Bublik will certainly want to repay him in the right way. The first challenge for the Kazakh will be young Spaniard Rafael Jodar, who has also had a very good season.

Not long after that, Bublik will return to the court alongside Taylor Fritz in the doubles match against Carlos Alcaraz and Jakub Mensik. Team World has high ambitions after beating Team Europe in San Francisco last year, while there is no doubt that Team Europe is hungry for revenge this time.

Andre Agassi is leading Team World into another Laver Cup campaign with plenty of experience and a clear understanding of what his players need.

The eight-time Major champion has been looking closely at Carlos Alcaraz and Taylor Fritz, who produced an importanbt battle at last year's edition. 

Flipping the script 😮‍💨@Taylor_Fritz97 reverses his 2024 defeat against Alcaraz to extend Team World's lead.#LaverCup pic.twitter.com/vTyHQ2GuFM

— Laver Cup (@LaverCup) September 21, 2025

The American defeated the Spaniard 6-3, 6-2 in San Fancisco, giving the Red squad a major boost and helping the group believe it could compete with Europe's best.

Agassi believes the result came from Fritz playing with the right strategy, clarity and conviction. The Team World captain also knows that Alcaraz can turn a match upside down against almost anyone.

Agassi believes his role is not simply about tactics. It goes beyond and includes helping players understand what they can do differently on a particular day. 

The former world No. 1 looks for areas where each player can improve and tries to give them the confidence to trust those changes. Against Alcaraz, that meant finding a way for Fritz to play his own tennis with complete belief.

Andre noted that while Carlos can beat anyone at any moment, certain players can bother him when they execute their game with total conviction. Taylor managed to do exactly that in last year's Laver Cup meeting.

The American delivered a rock-solid performance in San Francisco to beat the world No. 1 6-3, 6-2 in an hour and 11 minutes, competing Team World's complete turnaround on the second day.

Taylor saved two break points in the first game of the match and never looked back. He stole 44% of the return points and provided three breaks to control the scoreboard. 

The importance of the win went beyond Fritz himself. Beating Alcaraz gave the American confidence, and it provided Team World with something equally valuable - belief.

For Agassi, that was one of the biggest consequences of the encounter. Despite his ability to produce extraordinary tennis, Carlos can be challenged when an opponent commits fully to the right game plan.

Andre will look to create another environment where his players can find that same clarity and conviction, this time in London. 

"There isn’t a single player I watch without thinking they can improve in some way. I try to help them believe that. Sometimes that translates into something very strategic - what one needs to do more of today compared to usual.

It’s also a matter of clarity and conviction. I think Taylor brought exactly what was needed. As for Carlos, he can wreak havoc against anyone; he can beat anyone at any time.

However, a few players, if they play their game with total conviction, can give him trouble. That meant a lot to Taylor and to the team, and it probably made the difference last year," Andre Agassi said.

Jannik Sinner will not return to competition at the China Open in Beijing next week. 

The world No. 1 tested his knee in Monte Carlo and decided that it's still not ready for competitive matches.

pic.twitter.com/sXkEDMa3pH

— Jannik Sinner (@janniksin) September 25, 2026

The 25-year-old conitnues his recovery from a knee inflammation that forced him to skip Cincinnati and the US Open. Despite embracing training sessions in Monte Carlo, the five-time Major champion has not made progress that would make him comfortable with returning next week.

Sinner has not competed since successfully defending his Wimbledon title in July. He missed Montreal, Canada and the US Open before the latest withdrawal that affects his year-end No. 1 hopes.

Originally, he looked good to defend the title in Beijing. Instead, the world's best player is now expectted to focus on recovering fully and potentially returning at the Shanghai Masters. 

The Italian's decision follows a cautious rehabilitation process after his right knee problem forced him to abandon his North American hard-court campaign. 

He missed a Major event for the first time in seven years, requiring more time to recover and return to action. Sinner subsequently resumed training and had been targeting the Chinese capital as his first stop. 

However, the defending champion has now chosen not to take the risk of returning before his knee is fully ready, leaving the ATP throne battle with Alexander Zverev aside. 

With Beijing removed from his schedule, the Shanghai Masters could become the next opportunity for Jannik to return to competition. 

The 2024 champion will have additional time to continue building his fitness and make sure his knee responds positively to a full workload. 

Sinner will spend at least three months away from the Tour, with a physical setback halting his progress following a brilliant run between March and July. 

The San Candido native claimed six notable titles within four months, having won five Masters 1000 shields and his fifth Major crown at Wimbledon over Alexander Zverev. 

For now, the Italian sets his priority clear - complete the recovery rather than force a comeback and risk more problems. 

Alexander Zverev has had a dream season.

The German tennis player waited a long time to win his first Grand Slam tournament title, and after finally achieving that goal, the 29-year-old is now enjoying one of the best periods of his career.

His arrival at the Laver Cup has also attracted a lot of attention, especially because he will be on the same team as Carlos Alcaraz.

Andre Agassi is also at the center of this story. The Team World captain has made several quite interesting comments over the last few days.

Andre Agassi believes Alexander Zverev could have some problems at the 2026 Laver Cup, even though the German arrives in London after the best period of his career.

Zverev has taken two Grand Slam tournament titles this season, winning Roland Garros and then the US Open. The 29-year-old is also world No. 2 and one of the main names in Team Europe, together with Carlos Alcaraz.

The former world No. 1 sees things in the London conditions that could help his players against Zverev.

Speaking on the Served with Andy Roddick podcast, Agassi stressed that the court at The O2 is quite slow. According to the eight-time Grand Slam tournament champion, this is not ideal for a tall player such as Zverev, whose serve is one of the biggest weapons in his game.

Agassi pointed out that Zverev has won a lot this season and arrives in London full of confidence.

“Yeah, yeah, well, I assure you, winning is addicting, and, you know, Sascha Zverev, he's done a lot of that this year.

“But with that being said, he's a big guy. You know, he's 6'6. He serves through the court. It's hard to go through this court. Last year, he played De Minaur. A stat you could probably pull up. I kind of stick with numbers for some reason, it just sticks in my craw. He aced De Minaur once the whole match. So it gives you an idea of how slow the court is.

Big guys don't like the ball down there, so there's ways to kind of find some inroads there,” Agassi said.

That match against Alex de Minaur happened at the 2025 Laver Cup in San Francisco. The Australian beat Zverev 6-1, 6-4 and gave Team World two points on Saturday.

The German also played Taylor Fritz on the final day and lost 6-3, 7-6(4). Fritz's victory completed a 15-9 win for Team World and gave Agassi the trophy in his first season as captain.

Zverev still has a very good history at this competition. He has played the Laver Cup more times than any other player and has been part of five Team Europe title-winning teams. The German has also collected 21 points for Europe.

Earlier this year, he stressed that the event remains special for him.

“I think the Laver Cup is just such a special event, for so many different reasons,” Zverev said. “Atmosphere wise, player wise ... having the best players in the world as teammates. You only get that at Laver Cup. I love playing there.”

The current world No. 2 is not the same player who struggled in San Francisco last year. His 2026 season has changed a lot around his career after years of trying to win his first Grand Slam tournament title.

Zverev finally achieved that goal at Roland Garros, defeating Flavio Cobolli in the final. He then reached the Wimbledon final before winning the US Open, where he defeated Ben Shelton in four sets.

After his New York title, the experienced German said the pressure around winning a Grand Slam tournament was no longer the same.

“I think the scars of the 2020 final, they kind of disappeared after I won in Paris,” Zverev said. “Whereas before winning in Paris, I felt a lot of stress all the time, because there was always a question mark, will I ever win one? What I think now is that it's just more of a joy to play these kinds of finals.”

Agassi has spoken about Zverev's tennis before as well. During Roland Garros, the American claimed the 29-year-old has one of the best backhands tennis has seen, but he wanted to see him become more aggressive on the forehand side.

“Zverev is a heck of a talent, anyone who is six foot six and can move the way he does, is a threat on any surface,” Agassi said.

“His backhand is arguably the best backhand we've ever seen in the game, but he's a little bit too passive for me in the fact he is willing to give too much ground on his forehand side too often.

If he can find out how to put down the forehand moving forward, he would take his game to a whole new level.”

Zverev has also said this year that he wants to attack more when he gets the chance. He now arrives at the Laver Cup as one of the leaders of Yannick Noah's Team Europe.

Ben Shelton is a tennis player who has attracted a lot of public attention after some great performances in recent times.

Many people predict a bright future for the young American, hoping that in the next few years he can dominate and possibly even become world No. 1.

Although many expected Ben to play at the Laver Cup, the talented tennis player surprised the public with his decision to withdraw from the event.

The public was also interested in the reaction of Andre Agassi, the captain of Team World at the 2026 Laver Cup.

Andre Agassi has revealed what he told Ben Shelton during a phone call after the American decided to withdraw from the 2026 Laver Cup in London.

Shelton was expected to be one of the main names for Team World. The 23-year-old recently reached his first Grand Slam tournament final at the US Open and moved to a career-high No. 4 in the ATP rankings.

His schedule became difficult after New York. Shelton lost the US Open final to Alexander Zverev on September 13 and then travelled to Prague to represent the United States in the Davis Cup only a few days later.

The American eventually decided that he needed rest and pulled out of the Laver Cup, which takes place from September 25 to 27 at The O2 in London. Brandon Nakashima was selected as his replacement.

Agassi, Team World's captain, said Shelton personally called him before the decision became public. The eight-time Grand Slam tournament champion quickly understood that the call probably was not bringing good news.

Agassi spoke about the conversation before the start of the Laver Cup. For the American legend, Shelton's health and career were more important than having him available for one team event.

Agassi also said his role as captain is not only about trying to win matches during three days in London. He wants players to remain themselves and hopes he can give them something useful without changing too much around them.

He told Shelton before hearing the full explanation: "Nothing matters more to me than my players, and that's not just for Laver Cup but for their career."

Shelton later gave his own reason for the decision. His run in New York was followed almost immediately by Davis Cup action for the United States.

"After a long run at the US Open and going straight into Davis Cup... I've had to make the difficult decision," Shelton said.

The current world No. 4 added that he was disappointed to miss the event and hopes to return to Team World next year.

The withdrawal means Shelton will miss the Laver Cup for a second consecutive season. He was also unable to play in San Francisco in 2025 after a shoulder injury suffered during the US Open.

This year's absence is different. Shelton returned to competition after his US Open final and played for the United States in Prague. He lost to Jiri Lehecka and Jakub Mensik as the Czech Republic defeated the Americans 3-2.

The 56-year-old also spoke about the physical demands in today's game. Agassi claimed tennis has become much harder on the body compared to the period when he and Patrick Rafter were playing regularly on the ATP Tour.

He pointed out that modern players cover a lot of the court and hit the ball very hard. Different balls and courts also create another challenge during a season that lasts for most of the year.

"The game's gotten way more physical," Agassi said while speaking about what players now have to deal with during the season.

The former world No. 1 also mentioned Carlos Alcaraz while talking about injuries and stressed that players have to choose their schedules carefully. In his view, a player has to make sure the tournaments he plays fit the goals he has for his career.

Shelton had been delighted about the opportunity to work with Agassi before withdrawing. Earlier this year, the young American called him "one of the ultimate icons in our sport" and said learning from the former world No. 1 would be special.

Agassi was also happy when Shelton originally joined the team. He said the 23-year-old could help in singles and doubles, while his energy could also be useful from the bench and inside the locker room.

There is another connection between the two families. Agassi played Shelton's father Bryan during his career, while Rafter and Bryan have also known each other for many years.

Ben already knows the Laver Cup quite well. He owns a 6-2 overall record from Vancouver in 2023 and Berlin in 2024. His record in singles is 2-1, while he has won four of his five doubles matches at the event.

Nakashima now gets his first opportunity at the competition. The world No. 16 joins Taylor Fritz, Alex de Minaur, Alexander Bublik, Learner Tien and Francisco Cerundolo on Team World.

Team Europe has Alexander Zverev, Carlos Alcaraz, Casper Ruud, Jakub Mensik, Flavio Cobolli and Rafael Jodar. The 2026 Laver Cup starts this Friday in London and finishes on Sunday.

Jon Rahm has been one of the most recognizable golfers in the world for years, but even players of his level can have a week when almost nothing works.

That happened at the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth, where the Spaniard surprisingly missed the cut after rounds of 78 and 77. Rahm finished 11-over par and was last among the players who completed 36 holes.

His opening 78 was also one of his worst rounds on the DP World Tour. Rahm made only one birdie on Thursday, while five bogeys and a double bogey quickly pushed him far away from the leaders.

Eddie Pepperell has now spoken about the 31-year-old's difficult week. The English golfer does not believe one very bad tournament should create too many conclusions about a player who has achieved so much during his career.

Pepperell thinks Rahm's result was an unusual performance, although he admitted that some things away from the course could also be affecting the Spaniard at the moment.

Speaking on The Chipping Forecast, Pepperell said Rahm clearly did not look like himself at Wentworth.

"I don't think there's much to touch on there, apart from the fact I would put that down as just an anomalous performance," Pepperell said.

"There's clearly stuff going on in his head. I think that has to be, I think it has to be the case.

"There's stuff going on behind the scenes that is perking him and making him, rendering him unable to play his top level at the moment.

"That being said, I wouldn't read too much into one week and [that's] coming from me talking about a LIV player.

"I would be more than ready to usually jump on the bandwagon there.

"I think Jon is such a unique talent and a generational talent.

"But I mean, it is odd to see him finish last of players that finished. I mean, that does suggest something's off."

Pepperell also remembered one moment from Rahm's first round which immediately caught his attention.

The former Masters champion had only 95 yards left after a good tee shot at the 11th, but still found a way to make a costly mistake.

"I think it was his third hole, because from memory he started in the morning on hole nine," Pepperell said.

"He hit a great tee shot up the 11th. He had 95 yards and he careered it long and right.

"And I think he ended up making a bogey, I think he made a double bogey from 95 yards.

"And I thought to myself watching it, anybody can do that. But the best players hardly ever do that."

Pepperell then stressed that these are the mistakes he usually notices when a top golfer is fighting his game.

"You make terrible bogeys from 100 yards. And so it was that when he did that, I thought, my God, he really is off with his game.

"Because you just do not see that very often at all from the very top players."

Rahm's bad week at Wentworth looks even more unusual when looking at some of his other results in 2026.

Earlier this season, the Spaniard finished tied for second at the PGA Championship at Aronimink. He closed with a 68 and ended three shots behind winner Aaron Rai.

The 31-year-old has also won twice worldwide this season, meaning Wentworth was quite different compared to some of the golf he has produced during the year.

There is, however, uncertainty around his future with LIV Golf. The league filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection earlier in September, while court documents showed Rahm among the players still owed money.

LIV has also asked a bankruptcy judge for permission to reject existing player contracts as part of its restructuring. Rahm previously said he was willing to fulfil his existing agreement, although his position regarding a possible new version of LIV remains unclear.

Golf will still be quite important for the Spaniard during the final part of the year.

Rahm is expected to play the Open de España in Madrid from October 8 to 11. He has already won his national open three times, in 2018, 2019 and 2022, and another victory would move him ahead of Seve Ballesteros' total of three titles at the event.

His participation could still depend on family circumstances, with Rahm and his wife expecting their fourth child.

The Spaniard is also scheduled to play the Abu Dhabi Championship from November 5 to 8 and the DP World Tour Championship in Dubai the following week.

After what happened at Wentworth, there will naturally be interest in how quickly Rahm can find his usual level again. Pepperell, however, is not ready to judge him from only two difficult rounds in England.

Roger Federer became a role model for many generations of tennis players during his long career, including many who later built very good careers of their own.

Looking at today's group of players, with Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner and Alexander Zverev among those at the top, the fact is that Federer has been one of the idols for many of them. A lot of players listen carefully when the Swiss speaks and shares advice, so many young players could once again open their ears and listen to the interesting advice from the Tennis Hall of Famer.

The 45-year-old is back in London for the 2026 Laver Cup, an event he helped create and the same competition where he ended his professional career four years ago. Before the action at The O2, Federer worked with young players as part of Uniqlo’s Next Generation Development Program and also spoke about routines, pressure and recovery.

The former world No. 1 believes younger players need plans for different stages of their careers instead of thinking only about the next result.

Federer was asked what he would recommend young tennis players do every day. The 20-time Grand Slam champion pointed out that organisation is one of the first things he would focus on.

“It’s good to be organised. Have a bit of a plan and work backwards from there. If you don’t have a goal, your performance will be half-hearted, and half-hearted doesn’t cut it. Have a long-term, mid-term and short-term goal in mind, then you’ll hopefully be in really good shape for success,” Federer said.

The Swiss also stressed something much more basic when talking about the physical side of a tennis career.

“Sleep. I chase my kids to bed every single night. Sleeping is the ultimate recovery. Understanding how much to train is also important. Listen to your body. For the most part, we have time. It’s not make-or-break tomorrow. Looking at a longer runway helps you make smarter decisions.”

Federer knows how long a tennis career can become when a player manages his body well. He played his last professional match at 41 and finished with 103 ATP titles, 20 Grand Slam tournament trophies and 310 weeks as world No. 1.

The Swiss tennis legend has many times pointed out how important it is for a young player to be patient and wait for his chance, with the results of his work possibly coming later.

The experienced player also had many ups and downs and difficult periods during his career, quite a lot of them when he was only starting his journey in professional tennis. The eight-time Wimbledon champion won his first Grand Slam tournament at the age of 21, which says a lot about how important it is to remain patient and keep working.

Pressure was another subject Federer spoke about in London. Tennis has changed a lot since the veteran was a young player on the ATP Tour, as social media now gives players another thing to deal with every day.

Federer told the youngsters that feeling pressure can also mean that a player cares about what is happening. He advised them to focus on the short period in front of them and on things they can actually control.

The former No. 1 also spoke about how junior tennis looks different now. He remembered players winning Wimbledon junior matches, shaking hands and simply moving on, while he now sees much bigger celebrations and more attention around results at a young age.

“There’s also the pressure of ranking, and the pressure of looking good. Then you have the comments section,” Federer said.

He pointed out that young players have to find their own way of dealing with that side of the sport, whether it is sleeping more, speaking with friends or parents, meditating or talking to a professional.

Federer offered similar advice years earlier when asked what mattered for a 20-year-old player. In 2019, after beating Casper Ruud at Roland Garros, he said the people around a young player were very important because they influence work ethic and behaviour at a stage when technique is already largely developed.

More recently, during a visit to the Swiss National Tennis Center in Biel in late 2025, the Swiss legend gave three short pieces of advice to younger players: listen well, train very hard and stay curious. Federer said curiosity helped him understand why he was doing certain things in training instead of simply accepting every instruction.

Denis Shapovalov also spoke about Federer earlier this season. The Canadian recalled that Federer stopped and spoke with him for around 10 to 15 minutes in 2017, when Shapovalov was only 18 and starting to receive more attention on Tour. Shapovalov said that moment stayed with him because Federer was already one of the biggest names in tennis.

The retired star has remained around tennis since his final match. He was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in August and received his Hall of Fame ring at the US Open shortly afterward.

Maja Chwalinska delivered an outstanding display to dismantle fourth-seeded defending champion Elise Mertens 6-2 6-2 and reach the Singapore semifinal.

The 2026 French Open runner-up, who is the No. 5 seed this week, met Mertens for the first time since beating the Belgian in the second round at Roland Garros.

After a relatively calm first four games, Chwalinska went all over Mertens - looked near flawless on both offense and defense - and won the next seven games to open a 6-2 3-0 lead before breaking the Belgian again in the eighth game to close out the match.

Throughout the entire match, the 24-year-old Pole clinically imposed her game style as Mertens struggled to deal with the Pole's slices and high topspin. It resulted in the fourth-seeded Belgian spraying 40 unforced errors.

Bringing her best game to this match ⭐️ Maja Chwalinska is not letting up against Mertens.#SgTennisOpen pic.twitter.com/EaxDBcvdzv

— wta (@WTA) September 25, 2026

Last year, Mertens won five matches to claim the Singapore title in her debut. This year, the Belgian had a first-round bye and didn't have to play her round-of-16 match after receiving a walkover from Barbora Krejcikova. So, today was actually her first match of the week.

Meanwhile, by beating Mertens, Chwalinska reached her first semifinal since the French Open as she awaits the winner of the match between Mirra Andreeva and Leylah Fernandez.

After the French Open, Chwalinska suffered an unfortunate ankle injury at Wimbledon and also didn't do well during the North American hard-court swing. However, the start of the Asian swing has brought something positive for the 24-year-old.

"It's impossible to play great every single week, so it's just about consistency and work and you gotta be patient also. I'm happy that I stayed quite patient, I worked hard and it's paying off now. I had some tough weeks so this one tastes pretty good, I must admit," Chwalinska said after reaching the Singapore semifinal.

Carlos Alcaraz has never hidden how much he enjoys team competitions, and the Spaniard has now explained why the Laver Cup has a special place in his schedule.

The 23-year-old has spoken many times about the difficult tennis calendar and the need for players to protect their bodies. That subject became even more important for Alcaraz this season after a wrist injury kept him away from official competition for several months.

He returned at the US Open and reached the quarterfinals before losing a long five-set match against Ben Shelton. Not long after that return, the seven-time Grand Slam champion admitted he plans to take longer breaks in the future and even miss some tournaments when he feels that is necessary.

Still, Alcaraz had no problem making room for the Laver Cup in London. Before the start of the competition, he explained why this week feels different compared to the usual ATP tournaments.

Alcaraz was asked why he decided to play another event instead of using the week for training or rest. The Spaniard pointed out that team competitions are rare during the season and that he enjoys spending time with players who are normally on the other side of the net.

“We are not used to playing team events. During the whole year we don’t have team events at all,” Alcaraz said.

“For me especially, I love team events, spending time with them, having fun, as you could see the previous year, how much fun I had on the court and off the court.”

The former world No. 1 then said this type of week can also help him mentally before returning to the normal schedule.

“It is a week that, as you said, I might be training or I might be resting. But these kind of weeks help me a lot to bring my joy back on the court, bring my joy back on playing tennis, and it helps me a lot for the next tournaments, when it is not team events.”

That answer comes after Alcaraz once again spoke about protecting his body during the US Open. After spending months away because of his wrist, the Spaniard said he will not be afraid to skip tournaments in the future.

“In the future, I'm going to take some breaks, some long breaks - maybe not four months, but one month, two months - missing some tournaments,” he said in New York.

Two years earlier, Alcaraz also made headlines at the Laver Cup in Berlin when he complained about the length of the tennis season and said the calendar could “kill us in some way.”

There is another reason why the Laver Cup means something different to Alcaraz. During most weeks on Tour, players stay around their own teams and spend little time getting to know their rivals away from competition.

The Spaniard spoke about that during the 2025 Laver Cup in San Francisco.

“Well, that's the first reason that I love the Laver Cup, because I have a chance to have a team with the players that, you know, during the year I'm battling against,” Alcaraz said last year.

He also stressed that he learns by watching how other top players prepare for matches and deal with different situations.

“So here I'm able to get them each other as a person off the court, which is great. I learn from them how they do the things, how they approach the matches, everything. You know, being there to support them as well, I think that's great.”

Alcaraz made his Laver Cup debut in Berlin in 2024 and played a big role in Team Europe winning the title. He collected eight points during the week and defeated Taylor Fritz in the final singles match to secure the trophy.

The result was different in 2025. Team World won 15-9 in San Francisco, while Fritz also defeated Alcaraz in singles. The Spanish player still spoke positively about the event and the atmosphere around Team Europe.

This year he is playing the competition for the third straight time. Team Europe is captained by Yannick Noah and also includes Alexander Zverev, Casper Ruud, Flavio Cobolli, Jakub Mensik and Rafael Jodar.

Alcaraz said this week that he does not see himself as the only leader of the team because all of them are among the best players in the world and can help each other.

Fans are delighted with this competition, while a lot of attention is certainly directed towards the Spanish star. It will be quite interesting to see what these two teams can do at a tournament that has attracted a lot of interest since it was created.

Collin Morikawa has already played in some big team events during his career, but the American golfer admits that Medinah has presented him with something he has never really seen before.

The 29-year-old is making his third Presidents Cup appearance after helping the United States win at Quail Hollow in 2022 and Royal Montreal two years later. This time, Morikawa is playing in front of the home fans at Medinah Country Club, where the Americans are again expected to fight for another trophy.

Brandt Snedeker has many familiar names available in his team, including Scottie Scheffler, Justin Thomas, Xander Schauffele and Patrick Cantlay. Morikawa also qualified automatically after another season in which he remained among the leading American golfers.

However, before the matches started, the two-time Grand Slam winner pointed out something unusual about the golf course.

The first few holes have a fence line very close to the rough on the left side, creating a problem that Morikawa believes players will have to think about quite carefully.

Morikawa was asked about the difficult opening holes and how players will react when they are already feeling pressure from playing in a team competition.

The American remembered his first big team event at Whistling Straits, where he felt he could simply hit the driver without worrying too much about losing the ball.

Medinah is different.

“Yeah, I was talking about it. I was thinking back to my first event which was Whistling Straits. You know, I just teed it high and let it fly, and I don’t think we could have lost the ball. This is a little different. Thankfully I played a few. But, yeah, wind is going to be off the left. It’s a little more helpful.

“But I’ve never seen a course like this where there is a fence line that’s right along the edge of the rough. That’s going to play into a factor of how you’re hitting the shots, what format you’re going to be playing. It all plays into it.”

Morikawa believes the third hole gives golfers more chances, but the opening two holes could create immediate problems.

Justin Thomas already experienced that during practice. According to Morikawa, Thomas hit a shot into an area where the fence made his next swing almost impossible.

“JT hit a shot today that was, you know, an average shot. I think that just bounced in the rough, and now he didn’t have a swing to get around the fence. You’re going to see a lot of balls to the right.”

The American also compared the situation to dealing with water or out-of-bounds.

“It’s a shot that you never really come across but you almost have to treat it as if it is OB but also as if there is water. It’s a two-shot penalty right there. You’re out of the hole.”

For Morikawa, avoiding early mistakes could therefore become quite important, especially in formats where one bad shot can immediately create problems for a pairing.

The fence is not the only thing Morikawa has noticed at Medinah.

Rain before the Presidents Cup has made several areas around the greens very soft. The American was spotted practicing low running shots with a fairway wood, something that he has used before when conditions make normal chip shots more difficult.

Morikawa said some areas now feel like very wet sod, meaning the club can easily slide underneath the ball without producing much bounce.

“Yeah, it’s huge,” he said. “It gets a little grainy out here and it’s just really soft. Some of the areas where the grass or dirt underneath hasn’t really fully grown in, it plays like super wet sod. There is no bounce.”

Morikawa does not believe every difficult situation requires an aggressive wedge shot.

He often prefers his 5-wood around the greens when he wants to keep the ball low and reduce the possibility of a bad strike.

“It’s not pretty but it’s a play that I’ve always been comfortable with. I use 5-wood. I just kind of get it through and I just… it’s something that I do at most events that I’m able to kind of run it up fringe.”

The experienced American is also ready to play with different partners during the week.

Morikawa admitted that he would sometimes like to have one regular teammate, but his type of game allows captains to use him with different players depending on the situation.

After victories in his first two Presidents Cup appearances, Morikawa now hopes to continue that run at Medinah.

The United States has dominated this competition for a long time, winning 13 of the first 15 editions, while the International Team’s only victory came in 1998. This week gives Geoff Ogilvy and his players another opportunity to change that record.

Jannik Sinner’s long break from the ATP Tour appears close to ending.

The world No. 1 is now expected to travel to Beijing this weekend and play the China Open.

The Italian has not played an official match since July 12, when he defeated Alexander Zverev in four sets in the Wimbledon final and took his fifth Grand Slam tournament title. A right knee problem then forced him to miss Montreal, Cincinnati and the US Open.

Jannik initially hoped to be ready for New York, but the 25-year-old later accepted that his body needed more time. He stayed in Europe and continued treatment instead of trying to rush back for the last Grand Slam tournament of the season.

“Even though I have been working hard with my team and my medical staff, we have now had to make the difficult decision,” Sinner said when announcing his US Open withdrawal.

At that time, his team stressed that the plan was to recover in Europe and try to be ready for the Asian swing. There were doubts earlier this week that the comeback could be moved to Vienna, but the latest information is more positive.

According to reports from Italy, Sinner is expected to arrive in Beijing on Sunday morning. The China Open starts on September 30 and runs until October 6, with the draw scheduled for Tuesday. That should also give him a few days to practice in Beijing before his first official match since Wimbledon.

The Italian has already returned to harder training in Monte Carlo. One of his latest tests was a practice session with Flavio Cobolli, who is currently inside the top 10 and then travelled to London for the Laver Cup.

Cobolli was delighted to see his countryman back on court and said the session was useful for him as well.

“We joked around a lot, it was really nice to find him again on the court,” Cobolli said about training with Sinner.

Jannik Sinner and Flavio Cobolli are very good friends, while the Italian was also aware that he had to prepare his body for big physical demands if he really wanted to dominate on the tennis scene.

It was clear that Jannik enjoyed spending time on court with his friend, but his main focus was still on his physical condition and getting ready for the matches that are waiting for him.

Earlier in August, Sinner had already pulled out of Cincinnati because of the same knee issue. At that moment, he still hoped the US Open would be possible.

“My right knee has been bothering me and even though we have been working hard with my medical team, I have to accept that I’m not ready,” he said.

Dealing with this kind of problem is always challenging. The experience of the Italian tennis player is still one of the main reasons why he often stays optimistic despite all the obstacles.

Beijing will not be a simple return tournament for Sinner. He is the defending champion and has reached the final in all three of his previous appearances there. He won the title in 2023 and again in 2025.

The world No. 1 beat Learner Tien 6-2, 6-2 in last year’s final. This time, Alexander Zverev, Novak Djokovic, Felix Auger-Aliassime, Daniil Medvedev and several other familiar names are also on the entry list.

Sinner is still first in the ATP rankings, with Zverev behind him after the German won both Roland Garros and the US Open this season. The 25-year-old Italian has missed a lot of tennis since Wimbledon, so his return also starts an important period in the fight for the year-end No. 1 position.

There are also many points for him to defend before the season finishes. After Beijing, his planned schedule includes the Shanghai Masters, Vienna, Paris and the ATP Finals in Turin.

The ATP Finals are quite important for Sinner because he has won the event in the last two seasons. He has already qualified for the 2026 edition after a first part of the year in which he took six titles and posted a 44-3 record before his injury problems stopped his summer.

Jannik had also won Indian Wells, Miami, Monte Carlo, Madrid and Rome before adding Wimbledon. His last match ended with a major title, but more than two months without official competition means Beijing will be a different type of challenge.

His first opponent is not known yet. The Tuesday draw will decide his section. 

Italian reports said Wednesday is one possible day for his first match back.

Pat Rafter has spent a lot of time around Andre Agassi during the last editions of the Laver Cup, and the Australian has now explained how seriously the eight-time Grand Slam champion takes his captain role.

The former world No. 1 said Agassi is thinking about Team World for much longer than just the few days of competition, with their conversations sometimes becoming very intense before the event.

Agassi and Rafter started working together at the Laver Cup in 2025 after replacing John and Patrick McEnroe. Their first year ended with Team World taking the trophy in San Francisco after a 15-9 win over Team Europe.

The partnership is also interesting because they were once regular opponents. Agassi and Rafter played 15 times during their careers, with the Australian winning five of those meetings. Their games were quite different, as Rafter liked serve-and-volley tennis while the American veteran was known much more for his returns and baseline game.

Now the two former rivals are back together in London. Team World has Taylor Fritz, Alex de Minaur, Francisco Cerundolo, Alexander Bublik, Learner Tien and Brandon Nakashima, while Ignacio Buse is the alternate.

Speaking before the tournament, Rafter first stressed that one of the important jobs for him and Agassi is keeping their players fresh after a long period of tennis.

“I think it looks good. Shaped up pretty well. The guys come in after a really long summer. They go all the way from French through to the Davis Cup after the US Open. So they’re coming in a little bit sort of, well, they’re definitely match-ready, but I think Andre and I, it’s about how do we keep these guys fresh and ready to go,” Rafter said.

The two-time US Open champion then spoke about the difference between himself and Agassi when they work with the players. Rafter has a calmer approach, while the 56-year-old American brings a lot of energy when the matches get closer.

“So the first few days we sit back and watch, and now it’s time to start pulling the trigger. This is when Andre’s energy on the court is amazing. It’s unmatched anywhere. Then, as you said, the balance is with me trying to bring a little bit of calmness every now and then when we need it.”

Rafter also revealed that Agassi is regularly calling him during the year to talk about the team and possible players.

“What everyone has to understand in this Team World is that for the last six or eight months, Andre and I talk. He calls me all the time, What’s going on? Who’s in the team? It’s how passionate he is about it. Then when we get to the last couple of weeks, it can get explosive at times. Our conversations get really full-on,” he said.

Their first Laver Cup together did not start in the best way. Team World was 3-1 behind after Friday in San Francisco last year, with Joao Fonseca getting their only point on the opening day.

Saturday changed everything. Alex de Minaur, Francisco Cerundolo and Fritz all won in singles, while de Minaur and Alex Michelsen added a doubles victory. Team World moved into a 9-3 lead before the final day.

Fritz later finished the job by beating Alexander Zverev, giving Agassi and Rafter a trophy in their first year as captain and vice-captain.

Earlier this year, Rafter said Agassi “wanted to win so badly” during that week and claimed the players responded to the American because of how much he gave back to them. He also described his own role as a different and more relaxed voice when players needed it.

Agassi had similar words after the 2025 victory. The former world No. 1 called it one of the most memorable weeks he had spent on a tennis court and said he learned that listening to players can sometimes be more useful than talking too much.

That idea is still part of his approach in London. Before this year’s competition, the American stressed that captains cannot simply enter the lives of top players and suddenly change their games. His aim is to give them useful advice without making things complicated.

The 2026 event also brings several new names for Team World. Bublik, Tien and Nakashima are making their Laver Cup debuts, while Fritz, de Minaur and Cerundolo return from last year’s winning team.

Team World begins its title defence on Friday at The O2. Cerundolo faces Casper Ruud, Nakashima plays Jakub Mensik and Bublik takes on Rafael Jodar in singles, before Fritz and Bublik meet Carlos Alcaraz and Mensik in doubles.

Sergio García will once again be a headline act at the Open de España presented by Madrid—one of the most anticipated events on the DP World Tour calendar—which will hold its latest edition at the Club de Campo Villa de Madrid from October 8 to 11.

The golfer from Castellón joins a lineup of other major European and global stars—notably Jon Rahm, Shane Lowry, Tyrrell Hatton, defending champion Marco Penge, and the cream of the "Spanish Armada."

His return is fantastic news for Spanish fans, who will once again be able to watch one of the standout players of recent decades in action. Having won the Open de España in 2002 in an unforgettable edition, García returns aiming to contend for a second title in a tournament whose roll of honor features many of golf's greatest legends.

The career of the player from Borriol stands as one of the most brilliant in Spanish golf history. Sergio García has amassed 16 victories on the DP World Tour, 11 on the PGA Tour, and 2 on LIV Golf, in addition to winning the Masters Tournament at Augusta in 2017.

Complementing these successes is his extraordinary consistency at the highest level. Between 1999 and 2020, he played in 84 consecutive Majors—an exceptional streak reflecting remarkable competitive resilience among the world's elite. His career also includes nine Ryder Cup appearances, where he holds the record for most points scored (28.5)—yet another historic milestone for a truly special player.

The Rules of Golf are a set of standard regulations and procedures governing how the sport is played. They are jointly drafted and administered by the Royal & Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews—the governing body for golf worldwide, excluding the United States and Mexico, which fall under the jurisdiction of the United States Golf Association (USGA). An expert committee comprising members from both the R&A and the USGA oversees and refines the rules every four years; the most recent revision has been in effect since January 1, 2016. Amendments to the rules generally fall into two main categories: those that improve clarity and understanding, and those that—in certain instances—reduce penalties to ensure fairness. The rulebook, titled "Rules of Golf," is published regularly and also includes regulations governing amateur status. In Italy, the Italian Golf Federation (Federgolf) is responsible for overseeing competitions and enforcing the rules issued by the R&A, ensuring compliance by clubs, associations, and their registered members, while also managing related disciplinary matters and safeguarding their interests abroad.

Alex Eala has already done a lot in tennis at only 21, but the Filipina is not thinking only about trophies and rankings when she looks far into the future.

Eala was asked an interesting question during a fan event in Singapore, where she is playing the WTA 500 Singapore Tennis Open. One fan wanted to know how the current world No. 18 would like people to remember her when she eventually retires from professional tennis.

The question appeared to surprise Alex for a moment, with the young player then giving a simple answer that was not about winning a Grand Slam tournament or becoming world No. 1.

“I want to be remembered for trying to be positive and being ferocious on court and as a hard worker,” Eala said.

Judging by the reactions on social media, many fans have a very positive opinion about Alex Eala, believing that the Filipina can be remembered not only for her tennis qualities, with also for the way she carries herself as a person.

It is also quite noticeable how much Eala is trying to improve and reach her full potential. The competition on the WTA Tour is very difficult today, with many players capable of causing problems, so the 21-year-old still has a lot of work ahead of her.

Earlier in Singapore, Eala also talked about the women who played before her and helped tennis reach its current level. She pointed out that players do not need to change everything alone to contribute something to the sport.

“You know, I’m so grateful to everyone who has paved the way before. I think that every single woman who was playing tennis has contributed to its history and to the progression of the sport, you know, just by doing what they love and working hard.

So I hope I do the same. You know, I hope to, in my own little way, whatever it is, leave tennis better than I found it.”

That subject is not completely new for the Filipina. At the start of 2026, when she was still 20, Eala admitted that thinking about legacy felt quite early because she believed she still had many years in front of her.

“I still have so much to learn. I just do the best I can and hope that I can inspire people in a positive way. I do my best to carry myself with grace and with humility,” she said at the time.

A lot has changed since those comments. Eala later reached the fourth round at Wimbledon, her best result so far at a Grand Slam tournament, and she also took her first WTA Tour singles title in Washington.

At Wimbledon, Alex defeated defending champion Iga Swiatek on the way to the second week. It was another historic result for Philippine tennis after several firsts that Eala had already recorded during the previous season.

Eala has also talked several times about how strange it can feel to become a sporting figure for so many people in the Philippines. During the US Open period, she said hearing stories from supporters can make the wider effect of her career easier to understand.

“When I interact with the people who support me and they tell me their stories, it really touches me.

I just hope that whatever I do and the job that I have and my day-to-day work inspires other people and inspires the youth especially to chase their dreams,” Eala said.

The Filipina also stressed at Wimbledon that representing her country remains a big part of her story. Having such support from the Filipino fans is really incredible, with Alex knowing very well how to show her gratitude.

“For me to be able to represent the Philippines in Wimbledon, and in the biggest stages in the world, it means so much to me,” she said.

The attention around Eala has again been visible in Singapore. Fans gathered for her public Q&A and practice, with the 21-year-old signing autographs and meeting supporters before starting her tournament.

Talking about the support the Filipina has almost feels unnecessary, considering that Alex Eala is one of the most followed young tennis players at the moment.

Although Eala is already close to the top of women’s tennis, fans expect her to make additional progress in the coming years, compete regularly with the best players and eventually fight for the world No. 1 position.

At the same time, such big attention can sometimes create serious pressure for a young player. Eala does not want to allow anyone or anything to affect her focus or change her plans, with the Filipina hoping to have success at the current tournament and also in the events that follow.

The shadow of war looms over the European Tour finale, an event hosted annually since 2009 at the Jumeirah Golf Estates in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. This region is currently the most unstable on the planet due to ongoing conflicts involving Palestine and Israel on one side, and the United States and Iran on the other.

Throughout the year, the luxurious city has already been targeted by drone and missile strikes originating from Iran—attacks carried out in various waves as retaliation for its strong ties to the US government. The US State Department currently maintains a Level 3 travel advisory for the area, essentially advising against travel there.

Given these circumstances, the DP World Tour faces a dilemma unless the situation changes significantly before November, when the two playoff events are scheduled to take place. The first is set for Abu Dhabi from the 5th to the 8th, followed by the Dubai finale the next week, from the 12th to the 15th. Many players are wary of traveling to such a volatile region and have begun voicing their concerns.

Matt Fitzpatrick, currently one of Europe’s top players, is among them. "The hotel that was hit [Fairmont The Palm] is where I went to dinner to celebrate my victory last year. It’s scary. I don't think changing the venue requires much debate. I wouldn't feel 100% comfortable going there right now, but we’ll see how the situation develops and if I qualify," he stated.

As a precaution, a "Plan B" has already been drawn up in case Dubai remains an unsafe destination by that time. According to a report published this Tuesday by the specialized website *Ten Golf*, this plan involves moving the finale to the Real Club de Golf Sotogrande. Having hosted the Andalucía Masters for years, the course is already familiar to the tour's management. Although other alternatives—such as Morocco—were considered, the team led by Guy Kinnings ultimately opted to bring the tournament to southern Spain; the event would feature a 70-player field and begin on October 13. Now everything depends on whether the United States and Iran manage to reach some kind of understanding before time runs out.

Alexandra Eala has made a big jump during the 2026 season, and her coach Sandro Viaene believes one change in her game is now quite easy to notice.

The 21-year-old Filipina is currently ranked No. 18 in the world after reaching several new milestones this year. She won her first WTA Tour title in Washington, reached the fourth round at Wimbledon and also played another memorable match at the US Open.

Eala is now back in action in Singapore, where she is the third seed. Before her match with Tatiana Prozorova, Viaene spoke about the work done with the young player and what he has noticed in recent months.

The indoor conditions in Singapore are different from some of the courts Eala played on during the summer, although her team did not feel there was a reason to make big changes.

“Well, inside is a bit different, because there is no wind, there is no… It’s a bit more, the ball is always more the same. But it suits the Alex’s game; it’s good for these surfaces, for these conditions. So we didn’t change anything.

So keep playing how she was playing, but on indoor courts,” Viaene said.

The Filipina spent a few days practicing in Manila before traveling to Singapore. Viaene said the team did not introduce anything unusual and planned the sessions depending on what Eala needed each day.

“We were [in Manila for] three days, I think, and we practised twice in San Agustin. The people there was amazing with us, giving the indoor facilities. And, yeah, it was good to practice this, good environment, good support, so amazing, everything.”

The coach has worked around Eala for a long time and stressed that improvements can now be seen in different parts of her tennis. However, one thing was the easiest for him to notice when watching her from close distance.

“Well, she’s doing, she’s doing a lot of things well. Well, you can appreciate watching [her] on TV, but in life, you can appreciate even more.

I think she’s hitting harder. She’s hitting harder, and she’s doing better. She was doing good, but now even better, about game things. She’s doing a bit better in many aspects.

So, I think the American swing also was a continuation of the grass swing that was also good.”

That American swing included the biggest title of Eala’s career. She defeated Jessica Pegula in the Washington final and became the first Filipina to win a WTA Tour singles title. Her run also included victories over Zheng Qinwen, Leylah Fernandez, Elina Svitolina and Naomi Osaka.

The title also pushed her into the top 20 for the first time. It was a big change from the start of the season, when Eala was still trying to establish herself among the higher-ranked players and collect more wins at the biggest events.

Earlier in the summer, Eala also reached the fourth round at Wimbledon. It was her best result at a Grand Slam tournament and another step forward after she started the season outside the top 50.

Eala’s US Open ended in the third round, although the 7-5, 3-6, 7-5 loss to Iva Jovic became one of the most talked-about matches of the tournament. The two young players combined for 78 winners and there were 17 breaks of serve during the three-set battle.

Viaene watched the match from home and had a simple reaction to what he saw.

“Insane. It was insane. I was watching at home; it was amazing. Good level from two very good players. Young players that they want everything, so I think for the spectator it was fantastic. Was fantastic.

They wanted to hit harder than their opponent. For the spectator, it was amazing.”

Eala has spoken several times this year about how much her progress means after years of work. After reaching the later stages at Wimbledon, she said representing the Philippines on one of tennis’ biggest stages meant a lot to her. She also stressed that every new achievement remains personal because of the work she and her team have done.

The left-hander then took another step in Washington. After lifting the trophy, Eala said she was “over the moon” and delighted with taking her first WTA title.

Her ranking has followed those results. Eala started 2026 at No. 53 and is now at a career-high No. 18.

The next task is Singapore. Eala is scheduled to face world No. 180 Prozorova in the round of 16 on Thursday. The winner will move into the quarterfinals of the WTA 500 tournament.

Carlos Alcaraz is heading to Tokyo to kick off his Asian swing. The Spaniard leads a stacked field at the ATP 500 Kinoshita Group Japan Open (September 30 – October 6), where he arrives as the defending champion following his 2023 title run.

Having made his return at the US Open after a four-month wrist injury layoff, the seven-time Grand Slam champion is searching for match sharpness down the stretch. Building momentum in Japan is crucial as Alcaraz targets the Nitto ATP Finals in Turin and a potential call-up for Spain at the Davis Cup Final 8 in Bologna.

Entry List Update - Atp 500 Tokyo 🇯🇵 OUT: WC IN: Berrettini NEXT: Michelsen QUALY OUT: Van Assche, Berrettini IN: Kovacevic, Hijikata NEXT: Shimabukurohttps://t.co/Jzm6SLVkOi

— SpazioTennis (@SpazioTennis) September 23, 2026

The Japanese field features eight top-20 players alongside a strong American contingent. US Open finalist Ben Shelton enters as the second seed, while Taylor Fritz—who fell to Alcaraz in last year's Tokyo final—takes the third spot. Frances Tiafoe, Brandon Nakashima, and Tommy Paul further reinforce the US challenge.

Italy brings a formidable trio consisting of Lorenzo Musetti, Luciano Darderi, and Matteo Arnaldi. Meanwhile, Spanish teenage sensation Rafael Jódar makes his Japanese debut as he pushes for crucial points to cap off his breakthrough season with a spot in Turin. Denmark's Holger Rune also returns to singles action following his Davis Cup appearance.

1 Carlos Alcaraz

2 Ben Shelton

3 Taylor Fritz

4 Frances Tiafoe

5 Rafael Jodar

6 Lorenzo Musetti

7 Brandon Nakashima

8 Jiri Lehecka

9 Casper Ruud

10 Tommy Paul

11 Luciano Darderi

12 Valentin Vacherot

13 Alejandro Davidovich Fokina

14 Alejandro Tabilo

15 Ugo Humbert

16 Tomas Martin Etcheverry

17 Arthur Fery

18 Alexander Blockx

19 Matteo Arnaldi

20 Zizou Bergs

21 Denis Shapovalov

22 Holger Rune

Carlos Alcaraz has 4 individual events on the calendar for the rest of 2026 Tokyo Shanghai Masters Paris Masters ATP Tour Finals How many titles will he take to finish the season? pic.twitter.com/oQglg5xZFa

— notyourcountryclub (@showfortennis) September 19, 2026